Series - Be an Interplanetary Spy

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Language:	English
Publisher:	Bantam -- United States
Categories:	Complexity Level : Intermediate (Some Game Elements) Format : Paperback Game System : Visual Puzzles Genre : Science Fiction Target Age Group : Older Children Target Age Group : Younger Children Writing Style : Present Tense Writing Style : Second Person
Translated Into:	Du är en rymdspion (Swedish) Du er en rumspion (Danish) Haz de Espia Interplanetario (Spanish) Seja Um Espião Interplanetário (Portuguese)

These books, designed by Byron Preiss (also known for their work on Explorer and Time Machine), cast the reader as a spy who travels through space tracking down various alien criminals. The books are very visually oriented, having a style that feels like a mix between comic books and early eighties video games. Puzzles like mazes and visualization problems are common, and what text there is is very brief. Although the books are not heavy on plot, there is continuity between them, with some foes recurring from book to book and the reader’s character gaining in rank as the series goes on. Although not as influential as Choose Your Own Adventure or Fighting Fantasy, this series is generally held in high esteem by fans and was an important force in the early days of the American gamebook market Because the books encourage the reader to write in them, it's somewhat difficult to find "clean" copies.

Collections

Be an Interplanetary Spy Box Set

Gamebooks

1. Find the Kirillian!
2. The Galactic Pirate
3. Robot World
4. Space Olympics
5. Monsters of Doorna
6. The Star Crystal
7. Rebel Spy
8. Mission to Microworld
9. Ultraheroes
10. Planet Hunters
11. The Red Rocket
12. Skystalker

Related Documents

Play Aid

Be an Interplanetary Spy #1 - Mendelum Maze

Be an Interplanetary Spy #1 - Sandragon Maze

Be an Interplanetary Spy #1 - Spaceport Maze

Be an Interplanetary Spy #6 - Mobius Express (back)

Be an Interplanetary Spy #6 - Mobius Express (front)

Related Links

Andrew Schultz's Gamebook Page
This page has lots of Zork and Be an Interplanetary Spy-related information along with links to some humorous online gamebooks.
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762/books/gamebooks.htm (last verified: 2004-06-09)

User Comments

Back in the day, this series was my #1 alternative to the kind of gamebooks that kill you randomly. Though the stories are pretty linear, I was pleased to be rewarded for making the right decision (or killed for the wrong one) in a bunch of pattern recognition, maze, decoding and other interesting puzzles.

--Dtar

I LOVED this series as a kid, and still enjoy it now. It is so profusely illustrated and filled with puzzles and games, that its catch phrase, "Better than a Video Game" isn't entirely off the mark. Recommended!

--Naniyue