Demian's Gamebook Web Page

Item - Volcano!

Please log in to manage your collection or post a review.


Series: Choose Your Own Adventure (1979-1998) — no. 64
Contained In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box Set (63-67) (Collection)
Translated Into: La cimitarra de plata (Spanish)
La simitarra de plata (Catalan)
Author: Siegman, Meryl
Illustrator: Enik, Ted
Date: January, 1987
ISBNs: 0553261975 / 9780553261974
0553276611 / 9780553276619
Length: 111 pages (plus author's note)
Number of Endings: 19
User Summary: You are determined to find a legendary silver sword hidden in a Hawaiian volcano.
Demian's Thoughts:

After enjoying the last book so much, I expected to find this one disappointing by comparison. Unfortunately, my expectations were correct; in fact, this book is fairly disappointing by any standards. It's very much the prototypical Choose Your Own Adventure, featuring the expected smugglers and volcanic eruptions. It does have some good moments (most notable is an atmospheric bamboo forest) and a few interesting (but clumsily inserted) facts about Hawaii, but its good points are outweighed by its failings. The book suffers from two of my biggest pet peeves. First of all, its plot has little consistency, since the silver sword moves around, and the seemingly inevitable volcanic eruption might or might not occur, depending on which choices the player makes. Even worse, many of the endings have little or no closure, either ending on a cliffhanger or failing to give the proper sense of victory and accomplishment. The book isn't an absolute failure, but it's nothing special either.

More reviews by Demian

Users Who Own This Item: Andys80s, Ardennes, benji2, bigcobra, bobthefunny (HC), Chanticrow, Cyan, Eamonn McCusker, Ffghtermedic, fraze, Game Master, Gartax, Himynameistony, horrorbusiness, jharvey79, katzcollection, KenJenningsJeopardy74, kinderstef, kleme, knginatl, Lambchop, Lullyph, Madeye, marcfonline, mattender, mlvoss, Nomad, ntar (Covercraft hardbound ex-library), Oberonbombadil (Original US 1st (my childhood copy)), outspaced, plowboy, Pseudo_Intellectual, Radical347, rolipo26, RonaldFrobnitz, rtaylor352, Ryuran333, SeventhSon, SherlockHolmes, spragmatic, SuperAM2, ThaRid (2 copies), twar, waktool (Original, US 1st printing ($2.25)), Yalius, YourSoundtrack
Users Who Want This Item: AgathaRaisin79, aline, barryattles, bookwormjeff, exaquint, MasterChief, Mr ?, Muffy (PDF), nelsondesign, NEMO, Nym90, odo_ital, Pessimeister, slyfra, stock, strawberry_brite, Von Scotty, Waluigi Freak 99, yunakitty
Users with Extra Copies: kinderstef

Please log in to manage your collection or post a review.