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jd_mitchell's review against another edition
1.0
Oof, this one was tough. Like, it took me twenty years to win it tough. Having written a gamebook of my own, I applaud the attempted structure, but the execution (and illustration) just isn't there.
anthonyjrapino's review against another edition
3.0
Mostly fun, occasionally frustrating.
This was my first experience with a Fighting Fantasy book, and to be fair, I was warned not to start with this one as it can be difficult. They sure weren't lying, though I felt the difficulty level here was based far too often on luck than skill. I assumed most of the choices one would make while reading would be based on context clues. Far too often for my liking the choices were random. As you explored rooms or turned down hallways, many times it was a flip of the coin.
The skill here relies on multiple readings and keeping a fairly accurate list of choices plus a drawn map of the house (the map proved very hard for me). Of course the battles are often, at least in part, luck-based as you're literally rolling dice to decide the outcome, but this was something I knew to expect and was actually looking forward to.
I did like that I had to read the book a number of times before I was able to win. It makes the gamebook replayable. Further, I'm 100% sure that with minimal distance, I'll be able to return to this one and play it fresh, retaining only a faint memory of my prior choices in the game.
The writing is solid. The story was basic, but enjoyable. I think I was hoping for more details and backstory, but again, this was my first Fighting Fantasy book and didn't know what to expect. I'll definitely be checking out more in the series.
This was my first experience with a Fighting Fantasy book, and to be fair, I was warned not to start with this one as it can be difficult. They sure weren't lying, though I felt the difficulty level here was based far too often on luck than skill. I assumed most of the choices one would make while reading would be based on context clues. Far too often for my liking the choices were random. As you explored rooms or turned down hallways, many times it was a flip of the coin.
The skill here relies on multiple readings and keeping a fairly accurate list of choices plus a drawn map of the house (the map proved very hard for me). Of course the battles are often, at least in part, luck-based as you're literally rolling dice to decide the outcome, but this was something I knew to expect and was actually looking forward to.
I did like that I had to read the book a number of times before I was able to win. It makes the gamebook replayable. Further, I'm 100% sure that with minimal distance, I'll be able to return to this one and play it fresh, retaining only a faint memory of my prior choices in the game.
The writing is solid. The story was basic, but enjoyable. I think I was hoping for more details and backstory, but again, this was my first Fighting Fantasy book and didn't know what to expect. I'll definitely be checking out more in the series.
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