Item - The Last Invasion: 1066

This series has a really interesting premise. Instead of being set in a fantasy world, it makes you a fictional character at a real world event in history. It has standard choices as well as a number of skill check rolls. As a keen lover of history, this interests me greatly. The artwork is outstanding. Of the real history settings, this one is the oldest and most interesting setting.

In this case, it sets you as a lord in England during that most important year of English history, the year of the conquest. The character they give you is an interesting one, a Norman lord living in England, which offers you the option of fighting for either side, King William of Normandy or King Harold Godwinson. I was really curious how much influence you could have. I mean, would you be a witness to the event or able to change history? Could you, say, turn the tide of the historical invasion?

I wanted to like this book but just can't. Like some other British gamebooks, the writing is sparse with short sections, so you never really learn much about your character so never really feel anything for him. (I blame Fighting Fantasy for establishing these brief sections as the norm). For example, somewhere in the middle of the book you may or may not learn that your character has a wife. Since the sections are so short, there is little dialogue. It feels like the writers are telling rather than showing.

But the biggest sin, in my opinion, is that the writers clearly have a preferred side, the Anglo-Saxons. Despite making the character Norman, they fully expect you to side with the English (the losing side) with biased writing in their choices, such as "Do you want to join the Normans and be a (dirty) spy or do you want to take your oath to King Harold seriously and remain loyal?" The writing makes it clear they have "good guys" in this conflict, which is annoying to any lover of history.

Such a waste of a great concept.

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