I came across the Entertainer 2007 only a few days before the New Year.

Since I was repeatedly disappointed with different discount cards and loyalty schemes which turned to be failing investments, I handled this huge volume of discount coupons with initial scepticism.

Lounging on one of the Magrudy's armchairs, I carefully checked the book's content, methodology, and selection of places. I made some quick calculations, and finally bought it. And? So far, so good.

What I like most about this book is that it uses one promotion: a two-for-one or buy one get one free. So you don't really have to carry a calculator to dinner.

The book includes discount coupons for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, which are split into four coloured sections: family and casual, coffee shops and nightspots, informal dining and take away, and sports and leisure.

Two other books from the Entertainer cover fine dining and body.

One annoying point though is the alphabetic listing of the places, which works fine if you're looking for a certain place, but doesn't help if you're new in town.

For example, if you're going into Ibn Battuta Mall, and you don't have a good memory of which restaurants it hosts, you'll have to go through the backs of the coupons to find out what is there. Otherwise, the book is user-friendly, widely-known and accepted.

A friend had actually recommended it to me a few months ago when I asked her about admission tickets to Wild Wadi. She told me then that instead of paying Dh160 per person, I could buy the book, now at Dh175, just to get the three coupons to the theme park.

Her suggestion does make sense not only in terms of visiting one place, but also in that you really should not buy the book unless it meets your current lifestyle.

So if you're thinking about it, try first to go through the coupons, and see whether they match your activities and the places you usually go to.

Then try to exercise your anti-promotion tactics. If the reason a retailer offers you a free meal or a golf round is to get you to come back and spend more money, watch out for any symptoms of change in your routine. For example, if your usual weekend programme includes a coffee out and a movie, don't add a dinner out just because you can pay half the price.

Remember the slogan of the book over Dh55,000 worth value for Dh175 is a trap in itself. If the deal is that you've buy one item to get a free one. You're at risk of paying as much as Dh55,000 to get the equivalent.

Additionally, the two-for-one scheme may not be very useful if you're single, and prefer to hang out on your own. There are also some restrictions on use on occasions such as the Valentine's Day and Christmas, so don't plan to pile a lot of big bills on it.

While I have been pretty satisfied with it, remember there is no discount scheme that fits all.