1. America: Why is There an Eye on a Pyramid on the One Dollar Bill?
This book is not part of my collection.
2. Amazon: Where Do Fish Swim Through the Treetops?
Author: Sara Compton
Illustrators: Mona Conner (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 0-07-047994-1
Length: 101 pages
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector, the reader is
called upon to save a friend lying near death after returning from the
Amazon.
My Thoughts: This isn't a very good book... The text segments are
badly paced (and annoyingly full of the word "Earthling"), the
mystery isn't very interesting, and even though the plot branches quite a
bit, the lack of multiple endings pretty much removes the replay value
after the first time through.
3. Olympus!: What is the Secret of the Oracle?
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Mona Conner (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 0-07-047995-X
Length: 101 pages (plus glossary)
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector, the reader
travels back in time to Greece in 400 B.C. to search out the Oracle of
Delphi and discover the secret of her powers.
My Thoughts: While this book gains some points for a slightly
non-linear feel, it's still not too great. Due to the inclusion of a
"data bank" and the use of time travel in the plot, this very
closely resembles a rather weak Time Machine
book.
4. Australia: Find the Flying Foxes!
Author: Louise Munro Foley
Illustrators: Mona Conner (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 0-07-047996-8
Length: 101 pages (plus glossary)
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector sent to find the
real meaning of an Aboriginal legend, the reader travels back 200 years in
time and is drawn into the conflicts between the white settlers and the
native Australians.
My Thoughts: This book is definitely above average for the series...
While its value as a game is still fairly low, it's more interesting and
somewhat better written than many of these books.
5. Venice: Who Are the Three?
Author: Sara Compton
Illustrators: Mark Frueh (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 0-07-047997-6
Length: 97 pages
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is called upon to find and
rescue Zy, a fellow Earth Inspector, who has been captured and brought
before "The Three," the most dangerous personages in Venice.
My Thoughts: Like Sara Compton's earlier book in this series, this
book is a rescue mission, and a rather uninteresting one at that. The
amount of text between choices is excessively large and many good
opportunities for story branches are missed.
6. Africa: Where Do Elephants Live Underground?
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Mona Conner (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1989
ISBN: 0-07-047998-4
Length: 104 pages
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector, the reader tries
to find the strange place where elephants live underground.
My Thoughts: This is a rather long book; it seems designed to make
sure that you go to most of its locations before you finish it. This
actually sort of makes sense within the context of this series; since there's
little replay value you might as well get through most of the book the one
time you read it... Of course, this makes one wonder why the book is a
gamebook in the first place. In any case, apart from this, the biggest
notable thing about the book is the fact that it has a certain amount of
series continuity, picking up where the last book ended.
7. China: Why Was an Army Made of Clay?
Author: Richard Brightfield
Illustrators: Mark Frueh (cover), Madeline Sorel (interior)
First Published: 1989
ISBN: 0-07-047999-2
Length: 102 pages (plus glossary)
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector, the reader tries
to solve the riddle of the army made of clay.
My Thoughts: This book is slightly above average for the series;
it feels rather pointless, but at least it's well paced. It's also
interesting to compare this to the twenty-first Time
Machine book, Caravan to China, which visits some of the same
periods of history but presents them very differently.
8. U.S.A.: What is the Great American Invention?
Author: Richard Brightfield
Illustrators: Mona Conner (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1989
ISBN: 0-07-048000-1
Length: 105 pages
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector, the reader tries
to uncover the mystery of the great American invention.
My Thoughts: This is a weak book... While the use of a companion
character (Teega, a first-time Earth Inspector) is an interesting idea, the
book as a whole is predictable and condescending.
9. Europe: Why Was a City Built to Capture a Castle?
This book is not part of my collection.
10. Japan: How Do Hands Make Peace?
Author: Carolyn Meyer
Illustrators: Mona Conner (cover), Barbara Carter (interior)
First Published: 1990
ISBN: 0-07-048005-2
Length: 105 pages
Number of Endings: 1
Library of Congress Summary: As an Earth Inspector trying to solve
a riddle, the reader encounters ancient samurai warriors, copes with strange
customs, and gets lost on Mt. Fuji.
My Thoughts: I first read this book more than a decade ago, when it
had just come out and I found a copy at the library; for some reason, I have
happy memories of staying up late reading it, though the actual content of
the book disappeared from my mind until had an opportunity to read it again
after purchasing it from the library's clearance section. Funny how I ended
up owning so many of the books I used to borrow from the library... As it
turns out, it's a pretty good book. It does a good job of reinforcing the
fact that the reader is supposed to be an alien, and it also presents a lot
of interesting facts about life in Japan. It's not perfect, however... For
one thing, I suspect that Japanese readers might find some aspects of the
story a bit insulting (it seems rather critical at times). Additionally, the
gameplay isn't very interesting, though that's to be expected from this
series; the interactive element is rather underused, and this wouldn't feel
much different if it were a completely linear book. Still, it's a more
interesting read than many of the other Earth Inspectors books.
Errata: On page 22, the message "go on to the next page 18"
should simply read "go on to the next page."
11. England: What is the Secret of the Stones?
This book is not part of my collection.
12. Russia: What is the Golden Horde?
This book is not part of my collection.