Item - Hall of the Gargoyle King

Hall of the Gargoyle King stands out somewhat from other Dragontales books because it allows the reader to play either Mikel or Dar rather than the same character in each play session, and each has some secret that can be discovered through play. Other than that, there isn't much to separate this book from any of the others in the series.

More reviews by Fireguard

A dare from the village bully sends the two main characters to explore the hall of the Gargoyle King in a fairly bog-standard scenario. The author tries to shake up the format a bit by offering the choice of two characters to play, however each is a standard village boy without much to distinguish them from each other. In fact, I often forgot which I was playing.

It's a pity because the idea was good, but it would have been better to choose between two distinct character classes, such as in the Wizards, Warriors & You books. Or better yet, sticking with the general theme of this series, offer a choice of playing a male or female character, as it might have been interesting to see the romance angle from either side.

And the first choice offered to each character is your standard "give up and go home" basically doubling the pointlessness (and you are offered this option again later on as well). Overall, nothing to really recommend this one, unfortunately.

Minor spoiler: The character "Dar" has the ability to speak with animals. "Dar" is also the name of the hero from the 1982 film The Beastmaster who has the same ability.

More reviews by Kveto

[Rating: 3/10]
[Recommended? NO]

Rhondi Vilott's "Dragontales" gamebooks are a pleasantly refreshing exploration of the limitless potential of the epic fantasy genre, providing within each title an adventurous sort of excursion into danger with a bit of romance on the side. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the same approach returns in "Hall of the Gargoyle King", what with its fairly lengthy quest of a familiar nature and the way readers are intended to play through it. Distinctively different enough in tone yet reminiscent of both the "HeartQuest" and "Endless Quest" series in more ways than I predicted, this is a moderately paced story with a commendably well-conceived setting and cast of characters (for the most part), and while the narrative and set-up are admittedly on the predictable side of things, the eloquently fashioned tone is quite readable. It's a seamless experience overall, but I couldn't help finding myself strangely dissatisfied by the end of it; perhaps I was hoping for something a little more ambitious or innovative, since I thoroughly enjoyed reading good portions of the book and found it ended before it made much use of what the experience had going for it. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily - but it made me more analytical upon my next few re-reading exercises, to which I came to the conclusion that, alas, some paths are more satisfying than others, and that the intuitive incompleteness was owing to the fact that not every path was... well, completely written.

This title is recommended to a precisely particular extent: a majority of fantasy readers and gamebook lovers alike will relish in the refreshing feel and thoughtfully designed adventure offered here. But a few warnings are to be had (which keep me from recommending this title wholly) - not all copies are created equal! Original printing editions feature proper passage pointing, well-formatted pages and some absolutely stunning cover artwork by the brilliant Tom Hallman... while reprintings and reissues are cheap, shallow, incorrectly embedded and outright ugly to look at, if not unreadable and inaccessible (numerous errors, omissions and problems with the writing itself). Furthermore, don't be surprised if the entirety of the book is not as good as the best parts (ex. alternative routes)... but don't be afraid to give this one a shot if this sounds up your alley! ^^

(Mysteriously disappears into the shadows.)

More reviews by Shadeheart