Item - Midnight at Monster Mansion

All the monster movie cliches you can think of manage to pop up in here, but the ultimate result is considerably more charming than it could be. This actually is one of the better books in the series.

More reviews by Demian

Although somewhat cliched (how many times can you put Dracula, Igor, and Frankenstein's monster in a creepy old house and expect it to have an effect?), the book isn't badly written and is fun for something of its length. It's at just about the right point to chill the target age group, yet not give them nightmares like Invasion of the Black Slime.

More reviews by Fireguard

Midnight at Monster Mansion is an amusing piece of interactive fiction tucked away into a tight little package. This small book tells the story of the reader whose car is running out of petrol, so you decide to stop at an old mansion to ask for help. This ends up being a terrible mistake as the entire place is filled with old movie monsters, tropes and hilarious events.

I can tell the writer, Steven Otfinoski, had a great time writing this book as his well-timed humour shines through while still making the reader feel like danger might be around the next corner. Most of the well-known creatures (vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein's monster, etc.) aren't just thrown in there willy-nilly; they are actually written into the plot so that their existence makes sense (as the master of the house is running several crazy experiments). With around 30 endings, there are some nice twists including a few conclusions in which the people living in the house actually end up being friendly people after all (not many of those, though).

The book is arguably shorter than a CYOA book, though I'd argue its about the same length as there are far fewer illustrations padding out the pages and much more actual writing; a refreshing change. This book is a great time, though short-lived.

More reviews by hadlee73