Fighting Fantasy


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Although Choose Your Own Adventure made it to the marketplace first, many people consider this series to be the one that started the whole gamebook boom. Certainly, unless you count role-playing solo adventures like the Tunnels & Trolls books, this was the first interactive series to feature a combat system, inventory management and all the other standards of the format. The rules are based around three essential attributes (Skill, Stamina and Luck), and while they vary slightly from volume to volume, they remain simple but effective throughout the line. Interestingly enough, despite its name, it's not exclusively a fantasy series -- sci-fi and horror were occasionally covered as well.

The series was tremendously popular and made it through fifty-nine volumes and multiple spin-offs (and rip-offs) before burning out in 1995. Fortunately for fans, though, the series began returning to print in 2002 thanks to the efforts of Wizard Books. My only frustration with the reprints (which are quite attractive) is that they've changed the order of the books and integrated the Sorcery! series, making accurate cataloguing difficult for a collector like myself.

This page is under construction. As I complete these books, I'll add reviews.


1. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Authors: Steve Jackson (UK) and Ian Livingstone
Illustrators: Peter Andrew Jones (first two British covers), Richard Corben (American cover), Martin McKenna (British reissue cover), Russ Nicholson (interior)
First Published: 1982 (original British edition), November, 1983 (American edition)
Reissued: May, 2002 (still as book #1)
ISBN: 0-14-031538-1 (original British edition), 0-440-99381-4 (American edition), 1-84046-387-2 (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 3 instant deaths, 1 victory, plus failure by inadequate inventory or loss of Stamina points.
Plot Summary: You travel to Firetop Mountain, a dangerous place inhabited by Zagor the Warlock, in search of treasure and adventure.
Translations: Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts:

This is a decent start to a good series, and it's easy to see how people were hooked on gamebooks after playing this. It's more or less plotless, but the dungeon environment it allows the reader to explore is pleasantly quirky and greatly enhanced by Russ Nicholson's remarkable artwork. I'm especially fond, for some mysterious reason, of the delightfully repulsive ghoul pictured near section 275.

Gameplay is fast and fun, though also rather flawed. My biggest complaint is the frequent use of a lazy pattern of game design. For example, say the reader can go either east or west. If the reader goes east, there's no turning back, but if the reader goes west, something important happens, and the reader is subsequently herded east anyway. This pattern shows up again and again in the book, and while it obviously made the writing process easier for the authors, it's often a source of frustration for the player -- there are times where it would be nice to turn back, but no such option is offered. Certainly, it would have been difficult to increase the player's freedom of movement without making the book overlong, but the linearity of this particular story structure could probably have been masked a little better.

A lesser complaint is that the game's inventory system is poorly thought-out. There's no inventory limit, but certain objects require you to drop an existing item before picking them up. This almost makes sense for a heavy shield (though not if you drop a light black glove to make room), but it's totally senseless when later in the adventure you are required to drop an item in order to pick up a key. Inventory is one place (though not the only place) where Lone Wolf undeniably had an edge over Fighting Fantasy.

A final feature of game design that I'm not sure whether to praise or complain about is the final segment, where you have to open a chest using keys gathered during earlier parts of the story. This is done using a fairly clever mechanic (adding key numbers together to yield a section which shows whether or not the keys fit), but it means that you can get within an inch of victory again and again without ever actually winning. This makes replay high, but it might be considered a bit cruel. Personally, I think it works well enough for this book since the adventure's challenge level is low overall, but it would be unspeakably nasty to place a similar twist in a tougher adventure.

Also, if I may be picky, I'd like to point out that the very first paragraph of the rules says that you start with a shield but that it subsequently seems that you don't (especially since you can find one at one point in the adventure). Probably just a little flaw missed in copy editing. Also, my early British printing of the book is missing the letter "e" in the word "grey" in the picture caption by section 122, though my more recent printing includes the letter.

Anyway, overall, I think this book deserves its classic status. It's challenging but not impossible, it has a number of memorable situations (aided greatly by good artwork), it's fun to map, and it has some unusual design elements (most notably the final key puzzle) despite being more or less the first of its kind. Of course, it can also be blamed for typecasting the whole genre of interactive books through its fantasy setting and its emphasis of mechanics over storyline. While these things are a shame, they can't really be used as direct criticisms of the book. Taken at face value, it's a good bit of fun and worth reading the four or five times it'll most likely take to emerge victorious.

2. The Citadel of Chaos
Author: Steve Jackson (UK)
Illustrators: Emmanuel (first British cover), Ian Miller (second British cover), Richard Corben (American cover), Kevin Jenkins (British reissue cover), Russ Nicholson (interior)
First Published: 1983 (original British edition), November, 1983 (American edition)
Reissued: May, 2002 (still as book #2)
ISBN: 0-14-031603-5 (original British edition), 0-440-91280-6 (American edition), 1-84046-389-9 (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 19 instant failures, 1 victory, plus failure by inadequate inventory, insufficient spells or loss of Stamina points.
Plot Summary: You are a wizard-in-training sent to infiltrate the citadel of Balthus Dire, an evil demi-sorcerer. Your mission is to prevent him from unleashing an army upon the innocent Vale of Willow by assassinating him in his lair.
Translations: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts:

The first thing that struck me about this book was its magic system, which isn't nearly as interesting as Steve Jackson's later work on Sorcery but which starts the adventure off on an interesting note by giving the reader a list of talents to pick from, Lone Wolf style. The next thing I noticed was the fact that the back-story seems very D&D-inspired, though this observation is based mainly on the conspicuous use of the phrases "Lawful Good" and "Chaotic."

Upon getting into the actual gameplay, I'd have to say that it's a more solid design than Warlock of Firetop Mountain, but it's somehow a bit less engaging. This may be partially due to the fact that I don't have as many nostalgic memories of this book than of the previous volume, but I'd say that the sometimes rushed-looking artwork and Steve Jackson's less-than-thrilling prose didn't help either. Jackson's talents definitely lie more with game design than with actual writing -- his text just seems flat most of the time, and his tendency towards padding out sections by mentioning passageways that you can't follow is simply annoying. I also found that some of his encounters (like the whirlwind-woman) feel utterly pointless and silly. He does deserve credit for the occasional amusing detail, though, and it was nice to know that female goblins do exist (see section 339).

Despite my complaints, there are a number of very nice features to the book. The challenge level seems about right -- you have to play quite a few times to win, but each time you play, you learn new and helpful things which can be applied to the next trip. It's also true that you can roll extremely awful ability scores yet still emerge victorious. Probably the highlight of the whole book is the final confrontation with Balthus Dire, which gives you a lot of options and keeps the tension high throughout. The fact that victory leads you to a potentially-unsatisfying ending is my only complaint about the whole end sequence, and the open-ended final paragraph isn't really all that terrible. Actually, I wish I'd read this book more thoroughly before writing my first Kobolds Ate My Baby! solo adventure, as the encounter with Tabriz in my book could have been enhanced by including a tribute to this scene. Oh well.

Errata: If you leave the library (18) to approach the dining area (31), it says you come from the Game Room. This is a bit jarring, but it doesn't seem to actually harm the flow of the adventure.

3. The Forest of Doom
Author: Ian Livingstone
Illustrators: Iain McCaig (British cover), Richard Corben (American cover), Martin McKenna (British reissue cover), Malcolm Barter (interior)
First Published: 1983 (British edition), February, 1984 (American edition)
Reissued: February, 2003 (as book #8)
ISBN: 0-14-031604-3 (original British edition), 0-440-92679-3 (American edition), 1-84046-429-1 (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 3 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: You encounter a dying dwarf and decide to finish the quest that he gave his life attempting to complete: to enter a dangerous, monster-filled forest in search of a precious hammer that the dwarfs of Stonebridge need to fight off the trolls that threaten their home.
Translations: Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts:

This book is really quite typical of the early fantasy-themed entries in the series -- it's relatively plotless, it features minimalistic writing that's extremely short on dialogue, and it doesn't do anything particularly unusual with the core rules. Really the only thing that distinguishes it from the past two adventures is the fact that it's set in an outdoor environment, which makes a nice change from the claustrophobic dungeons of its predecessors. Unfortunately, despite the mild novelty of its setting, the book isn't all that memorable. Apart from introducing Yaztromo and the dwarfs of Stonebridge, it doesn't contain much that I'd consider terribly imaginative. Of course, the less-than-thrilling story could be forgiven if it were supported by great gameplay. Alas, that's not really the case here...

The adventure is highly item-driven, which is something of a trademark of Ian Livingstone adventures; unfortunately, though, it's not done very well here. At the start of the adventure, you can purchase a wide variety of magic items, and this part of the game is roughly equivalent to picking spells in the previous adventure, though it's more tedious since you have to pay different amounts of money for different items. What I found really disappointing, though, was the way that these items are ultimately used. When you come to a place where you can use an item, you are asked if you have it. If you do, you use it successfully; if not, something bad happens (though rarely something fatal). This isn't very exciting -- I'd much rather be given a list of items to try and have to figure out which one works; that would be more suspenseful, and it would also offer the potential of multiple solutions to certain problems. As things stand, encounters are either boring or frustrating, with little middle ground.

Another major problem with the book is the way it loops back on itself. If you reach Stonebridge without both parts of the hammer, you have a chance of going back to section one, restocking with Yaztromo and starting all over again. I definitely like the possibility of a second chance (and third chance, and fourth chance...), and it's a nice way of balancing the fact that you have basically no hope at all of finding the hammer on your first try. Unfortunately, this leads to all manner of continuity problems, since the book doesn't even try to address the possibility that you've already slain monsters and taken treasures. This leaves the player wondering how to handle things the second time around, and it interferes with the realism of the book. The problem couldn't really have been fixed without greatly increasing the size of the book, but that doesn't change the fact that it detracts from the reader's experience.

Perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh -- although this book isn't particularly exceptional, it's also far from being a disaster. It's a fun diversion, and it seems free from errors as long as you can suspend your disbelief about the whole looping thing. Its art isn't bad, either. In fact, compared to some of the unplayable, broken garbage I've encountered during my time as a gamebook collector, it shines like gold. Within the context of this series, though, it's average at best and rather seriously flawed at worst. It's not a classic, but it's worth playing if you're a completist (or have nothing better on hand).

4. Starship Traveller
Author: Steve Jackson (UK)
Illustrators: Peter Andrew Jones (interior and British cover), Richard Corben (American cover)
First Published: 1983 (British edition), April, 1984 (American edition)
ISBN: 0-14-031637-X (British edition), 0-440-98241-3 (American edition)
Length: 343 sections
Number of Endings: 13 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: Your spacecraft has been pulled through a black hole into a parallel universe, and you must somehow find your way back home.
Translations: Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts:

This book is something of a milestone in the series -- the first to try a genre other than fantasy. It is not widely considered to be a great success, however; even the author admitted to being a bit disappointed with it, if only because of its brevity. This brevity actually confuses me, as a random-encounter-filled space adventure seems like just about the easiest sort of gamebook to pad out to full length. In any case, despite its problems, it does have some nice features, but I have to agree that it's pretty disappointing overall.

The major problem is that this is a fun gamebook to play, but a frustrating one to win. The first time you play, it's really entertaining to create a whole ship's crew and have fun with the Star Trek formula that the book plays with. The dilemma of figuring out which crew members to take with you to a given planet is a nice touch ("Do I risk my science officer or just bring a bunch of expendable security guards?"), and the whole feel of the book is refreshingly different. The problem is that after a few tries at exploring the universe, it becomes obvious that winning requires a lot of tedious work.

This is actually a problem with the entire Fighting Fantasy series so far -- winning requires an extraordinary amount of effort in mapping and dying and starting over, which means that by the time you're getting close to victory, you've really sort of lost track of the story, its immersiveness destroyed by constant interruptions to sketch maps and take notes. The ultimate victory doesn't come from being heroic and solving puzzles, it instead comes from figuring out how the author's mind works and deconstructing the book. There's really no way that the characters in these books could ever be successful; victory only comes from knowledge that the player has which the character could never learn. This makes the whole experience rather hollow, and Starship Traveller made me more painfully aware of this problem than previous books.

In any case, winning this book is much the same as winning Warlock of Firetop Mountain -- you need to collect a bunch of numbers and then do some math on them to find the right place to go, and somewhere along the way there's a gratuitous maze. For me, this structure was okay once, but it's more frustrating the second time around. It doesn't help that the numbers you need to collect are harder to find than the keys in Warlock or that once you find a number, there's no indication in the text that you may need it later, so first-time readers may fail even if they have followed the right path. Speaking of the right path, I do find it interesting that, unless I am mistaken, you can win this book without touching the dice once.

One last complaint -- this book seems to have utterly failed to inspire any decent artwork. The interior illustrations are unengaging, the British cover is technically good but seems to me a strange and unrepresentative scene to portray, and the American cover is just awful. This book is unique enough to be memorable on its own, but good artwork might have made me enjoy it a little bit more. Ultimately, this is a better adventure for a casual reader who wants to play Star Trek for a couple hours than it is for a serious gamebook reader who wants a satisfying thrill of victory.

5. City of Thieves
Author: Ian Livingstone
Illustrators: Iain McCaig (interior and British cover), Richard Corben (American cover), Martin McKenna (British reissue cover)
First Published: 1983 (original British edition), July, 1984 (American edition)
Reissued: August, 2002 (still as book #5)
ISBN: 0-14-031645-0 (original British edition), 0-440-91374-8 (American edition), 1-84046-397-X (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 10 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: While visiting the town of Silverton you get involved in a quest to lift a curse by defeating the evil Zanbar Bone. Unfortunately, in order to learn how to destroy the fiend, you must seek the advice of an old wizard who lives in the dangerous and crime-infested Port Blacksand.
Translations: Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts:

In terms of setting and story, this is probably the deepest book in the series thus far. There's still not a whole lot to it, but the book's basic scenario is set up in a fairly lengthy introduction (complete with actual dialogue!) and the setting of Port Blacksand is fairly believable and consistent (though for a town of despicable thieves, there seem to be an awful lot of honest, friendly people about). This decent text is further enhanced by some of the best illustrations since the first book in the series (though I'm not very impressed by Zanbar Bone's appearance, especially on the covers).

The gameplay aspect of the book is also fairly strong. This is, I suspect, the earliest "scavenger hunt" gamebook involving a quest to gather all manner of weird thingies needed to achieve some goal (Castle of Lost Souls, the adventure serialized in White Dwarf magazine and later reprinted as part of the Golden Dragon series, is another notable example). The satisfaction inherent in finding each essential item tends to make this sort of book especially fun, and the prospect of finding new goodies in unexplored nooks and crannies makes replaying after death fairly tolerable. The challenge of successfully managing your money adds further interest, and, as usual, careful mapping is essential! My biggest complaint is the fact that the endgame segment (after you leave Port Blacksand) is a bit too hard, with the challenging combats and guessing games being more annoying than exciting at such a late point in the adventure.

Of course, the limitations of the gamebook format are made obvious from time to time, detracting from the quality of the gameplay -- as in Warlock of Firetop Mountain, there are times where you have to head in direction X, grab an item, then backtrack in direction Y and move on. If you head in direction Y to begin with, you miss the crucial item and are doomed to failure. As before, this really points out the linearity of the adventure and serves mainly to frustrate the reader.

Speaking of frustrating the reader, I did find that the book overstays its welcome a little bit. There is a great sense of relief at successfully completing the Port Blacksand section of the book, and this is spoiled somewhat by an overly difficult endgame sequence. First there's a really, really tough fight, then there's a new trap-filled area to explore, and finally there's a 66% chance of losing the adventure at the last possible instant due to a choice that depends solely on luck. I don't mind challenge, but this is simply unfair!

Although far from perfect, the book manages to overcome its flaws. The story has a unique enough flavor to be memorable, the challenge level is high enough to require thought but low enough to avoid being impossibly frustrating (except during the ludicrous endgame), and the illustrations nicely complement everything else. If you need a fix of classic Fighting Fantasy, you really can't go too far wrong here.

Errata: The heading on the page containing sections 342 and 343 actually reads "342-243" in the two British copies of the book that I own. The problem is corrected in the American reprint, which is interesting, since American editions of British gamebooks usually contain the same errors as their British counterparts.

6. Deathtrap Dungeon
Author: Ian Livingstone
Illustrators: Iain McCaig (interior and original British cover), Richard Corben (American cover), Mel Grant (British reissue cover)
First Published: 1984 (British edition), September, 1984 (American edition)
Reissued: May, 2002 (as book #3)
ISBN: 0-14-031708-2 (British edition), 0-440-91717-4 (American edition), 1-84046-388-0 (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 31 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: Every year, the town of Fang celebrates the Trial of Champions, a special event in which adventurers are sent into Baron Sukumvit's deadly, trap-filled dungeon. The one resourceful soul capable of surviving all the way through will win a vast prize. So far, no one has won, but there's a first time for everything, and you're determined to give it a shot....
Translations: Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts:

After a few adventures in open spaces, this book delves back into the dungeon. Interestingly enough, it features the exact same author/illustrator team as the previous volume. In any case, the dungeon presented here is quite a memorable one -- there are few Fighting Fantasy fans who don't have a certain fondness for Baron Sukumvit's unforgettable trap-filled creation. Despite the nostalgia, though, I found this book a rather mixed bag.

There are quite a few good things to be found here. Probably the best thing about the book is the way it shows the series' setting beginning to evolve into a living world. By placing Fang near Port Blacksand, the author gives the reader a first sense of the fact that these books take place in a common land, and by giving frequent signs of fellow-adventurers' activities, the book makes its dungeon seem like a more lively place than, say, Firetop Mountain. Finally, while the explanation of the Trial of Champions is rather hard to swallow, it's also a lot of fun, and one of the better excuses for a maze full of random dangerous stuff that I've come across.

There are problems, though. For one thing, it really feels, from a structural standpoint, an awful lot like a rehash of the first book in the series (though the concluding puzzle, basically a game of Mastermind, is rather more clever than the key-adding of the first volume). This sense of deja vu is not the book's biggest flaw, however. The big problem is, once again, unbelievably excessive difficulty.

I have complained in the past that the stories of most Fighting Fantasy books tend to get lost in all the mapping and note-taking that the player has to do in order to win them. This problem is particularly bad here. In most of the earlier books, whenever I would roll up a Skill 12 character, I would experience a certain amount of breathtaking suspense, since I knew I had a shot at victory, however slim. In this book, I soon realized that there were so many instant death traps that Skill didn't matter, and that I'd have no chance of winning until I knew the dungeon inside and out.

Ultimately, I ended up sending dozens of adventurers to horrible fates just to get a rough idea of what I'd have to do to emerge victorious. I wasn't trying to win, even when I rolled Skill 12 characters; I was just mapping. I knew I stood no chance of victory without loads of foreknowledge. This reduced the book from an adventure to a mechanical exercise, which is a shame. It was also rather displeasing that even after all this work, there was no easy path available -- it's very frustrating when you have mapped every inch of a gamebook and still can't win without a certain amount of dice-fudging.

In the end, I'm not quite sure what to conclude about the book. It's a classic, but it's a rather flawed one (like most of the early entries in this series). It has some good writing and entertaining ideas, but if you play to win, you're likely to be too busy scribbling notes to actually appreciate the tale too much. The more I return to these books, the more I realize that the style of early Fighting Fantasy adventures just isn't to my taste; it will be interesting to see how I feel about the later volumes, though!
Errata: (thanks to Ed Jolley for noting these) In section 242, you fall unconscious to the floor, but if you make a good enough roll to get to 48, you're informed that you avoid falling unconscious to the floor. Hmm. Also an art/text inconsistency: in 164, you follow boot prints, but when you see the person who made them in the illustration by 299, he's barefoot.

7. Island of the Lizard King
Author: Ian Livingstone
Illustrators: Iain McCaig (original British cover), Richard Corben (American cover), Martin McKenna (British reissue cover), Alan Langford (interior)
First Published: 1984 (British edition), January, 1985 (American edition)
Reissued: December, 2003 (as book #17)
ISBN: 0-14-031743-0 (British edition), 0-440-94027-3 (American edition), 1-84046-491-7 (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 10 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: While visiting an old friend, you discover that his village has been attacked by reptilian kidnappers from a nearby island; you vow to stop their foul activities....
Translations: Danish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish
My Thoughts:

This, the third Ian Livingstone book in a row, is sort of a conclusion to a trilogy; just as Deathtrap Dungeon mentions that you've come to Fang from Port Blacksand, so this book mentions that you're journeying on from Fang to a new destination. Although this adventure is often overlooked by fans of the series, it has some merit. Certainly, it's not as innovative or important as City of Thieves, but it's a lot more fun to play than Deathtrap Dungeon, even it doesn't have as creative or compelling a backstory. This book also holds a rather special place in my heart since it's one of the mere two Fighting Fantasy adventures that I managed to complete back in the old days before I learned that it takes hours of devotion and excessive mapping to survive most of these things.

Now that I've examined the book more closely for review purposes, I'm not too surprised that I won it all those years ago. It's not very hard at all, especially when you look at it next to the viciousness of Livingstone's two previous entries in the series. It's almost entirely linear, so there aren't too many chances to get lost; it's nice to be able to play a gamebook without having to stop and map things out every two seconds. It's also extremely forgiving -- even if you miss a few items or fail a crucial test, you usually still have a shot at victory if you're clever and a little lucky. Even the numerous combats in the story aren't insurmountable, thanks to numerous pieces of armor and special weapons scattered about. Perhaps in another context I might have actually complained that the book is too easy, but at this point in the series, I consider it a relief.

The biggest problem with the book is that it's not all that memorable. It starts off well, with Mungo being a fairly detailed character (for this series, at least), but once he's out of the picture (and it doesn't take long!), it becomes a fairly blurry series of random encounters that feel like a slightly more tropical rehash of Forest of Doom. It all leads up to a final, large-scale battle that should be exciting but ends up feeling merely like a missed opportunity to do something innovative. The Lizard King himself, too, doesn't live up to his potential, especially if you face him with sufficient foreknowledge to have an advantage over him; it almost makes one long for another shot at facing Balthus Dire. Perhaps the author was simply getting tired by this point; I certainly wouldn't be surprised -- he churned out a lot of pages in just a few months. It's a shame, though, that the miraculously non-frustrating gameplay didn't get a good accompanying story. This isn't a bad adventure, but it could have been a great one.

8. Scorpion Swamp
Author: Steve Jackson (US)
Illustrators: Duncan Smith (interior and British cover), R. Courtney (American cover)
First Published: 1984 (British edition), March, 1985 (American edition)
ISBN: 0-14-031829-1 (British edition), 0-440-97676-6 (American edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 20, not counting death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: You've acquired a magical ring which allows you to detect evil and always identify north, so you figure it's time to make a map of the unmappable Scorpion Swamp; of course, the patronage of a mage adds further incentive....
Translations: French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish
My Thoughts:

It never ceases to amaze me that the first book in the series not written by Steve Jackson or Ian Livingstone was written by a different person also named Steve Jackson. In any case, I'm glad that the American Steve Jackson did manage to get involved in the series, as he's a good gamebook designer and this is one of my favorite adventures. Unlike most books in the series, the design here is completely non-linear. You can wander through the swamp in whatever order you want, even revisiting old locations. This freedom of movement is made possible by the book's wonderful mapping system -- each area is explicitly numbered and its exits clearly defined, making it both fun and easy to create an unambiguous map of the swamp. Things are further enlivened by the introduction of spellcasting (though in a different form from that found in Citadel of Chaos) to the gameplay.

The challenge level of the book isn't very high, and this has been the source of quite a few complaints over the years. Personally, though, I think the fact that the book provides three distinct quests to finish more than makes up for the ease with which any single quest can be completed. The difficulty is scalable -- while it's possible to play as safely as possible and stick to the parameters of a given mission, there's nothing to stop someone looking for a real challenge from trying to complete the conditions of multiple quests at once or even to map the entire swamp inch by inch. This sort of flexibility is a rare and wonderful thing, especially in this series, and it makes Scorpion Swamp something special.

Although its story and writing aren't as notable as its gameplay, even in this area, I think this book is a respectable entry in the series. The usual Fighting Fantasy minimalism is in place, but there are plenty of odd encounters that stick with the reader (the swamp's Masters, the three mages, and even weird beasts like the crab grass are all worthy of note). As usual, the text is greatly enhanced by excellent artwork, though the original British cover is remarkably poor considering that it was done by the same artist as the far superior interior work. Small complaints aside, it just doesn't get much better than this, at least in the realm of plot-light fantasy adventuring.

9. Caverns of the Snow Witch
Author: Ian Livingstone
Illustrators: Les Edwards (both British covers), R. Courtney (American cover), Gary Ward and Edward Crosby (interior)
First Published: 1984 (British edition), May, 1985 (American edition)
Reissued: April, 2003 (as book #10)
ISBN: 0-14-031830-5 (original British edition), 0-440-91126-5 (American edition), 0-84046-432-1 (reissued British edition)
Length: 400 sections
Number of Endings: 24 instant failures, 1 victory, plus death by Stamina loss or bad Luck.
Plot Summary: A simple job involving the protection of a caravan eventually turns into an expedition into the icy passages of the evil Snow Witch....
Translations: Bulgarian, Danish, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Portuguese (Portugal), Spanish
My Thoughts:

After a bit of blessed relief, we're back into nasty territory again. This book is Ian Livingstone at his worst: a linear sequence of excessively difficult but not especially interesting encounters complete with a stupid, luck-based guessing game poorly disguised as a climactic battle. This sort of thing is growing extremely tiresome. A character with a Skill of less than 10 simply stands no chance (despite what the lousy lying introduction says), and since the book is a long sequence of tough fights followed by lots of random ways to die senselessly, reaching victory is not challenging, it's merely frustrating. Although the final few events of the book are fairly interesting, most of the story is so weak and dull that it does nothing to redeem the awful gameplay. We have the same orcs and dwarves we've seen before, the most original creature in sight is the Brain Slayer (a lame rip-off of D&D's Mind Flayer), and the Snow Witch herself doesn't really do anything to distinguish herself as a memorable villain.

Some of the book's problems are likely due to the fact that it is an expanded version of an adventure from Warlock magazine. In the original version, the reader kills the Snow Witch and it's all over. In the book, though, that's only the halfway point, and there are lots more irritating locations to die horribly in. Every time the book seems to be about finished, something new, unrelated and tedious seems to crop up. Even after the whole Snow Witch plot is over, you still have to suffer through lots and lots of random events and obstacles featuring mostly-gratuitous references to early entries in the series, eventually revealing this story to be a prequel to The Forest of Doom. This adventure wasn't anything special to begin with, and apart from a couple of nifty moments, this added material only makes it overstay its welcome further. I suppose it could be said that the book has more NPC interaction and a more epic scope than previous volumes, but for these features to be significant, they'd have to be well-executed. Since they don't manage to be all that interesting, only long and irritating, they barely seem worth mentioning. The only real improvement in the book over the magazine version is the new artwork, which has a quite appealing semi-woodcut-like look to it. Interesting stuff!

I've probably said it before, but it's worth saying again. A well-designed gamebook allows a reader to quickly retrace his or her steps up to the point of death upon each replay or at least try out some new things along the way. If, by the time a player has explored every possible path, he or she still ends up dying off consistently near the beginning of the story, something is obviously wrong, and the gamebook is clearly not going to be very much fun. This book suffers from this problem severely, and it's an unforgiveable flaw in my opinion. The only good that came of the whole mess was that I figured out a way of streamlining combat resolution: roll two different-colored pairs of dice at once and see which pair rolls higher; it's faster than rolling one pair twice and is easier on the memory. Not especially clever, I admit, but helpful nonetheless.... In any case, even this accelerated combat wasn't enough to help me win -- eventually I resorted to designating computer-RPG-inspired "save points" so that I wouldn't have to struggle through the early stages of the book over and over. Yeah, it's technically cheating, but my conscience is mostly clear.

10. House of Hell

11. Talisman of Death

12. Space Assassin

13. Freeway Fighter

14. Temple of Terror

15. The Rings of Kether

16. Seas of Blood

17. Appointment with F.E.A.R.

18. Rebel Planet

19. Demons of the Deep

20. Sword of the Samurai

21. Trial of Champions

22. Robot Commando

23. Masks of Mayhem

24. Creature of Havoc

25. Beneath Nightmare Castle

26. Crypt of the Sorcerer

27. Star Strider

28. Phantoms of Fear

29. Midnight Rogue

30. Chasms of Malice

31. Battleblade Warrior

32. Slaves of the Abyss

33. Sky Lord

34. Stealer of Souls

35. Daggers of Darkness

36. Armies of Death

37. Portal of Evil

38. Vault of the Vampire

39. Fangs of Fury

40. Dead of Night

41. Master of Chaos

42. Black Vein Prophecy

43. The Keep of the Lich-Lord

44. Legend of the Shadow Warriors

45. Spectral Stalkers

46. Tower of Destruction

47. The Crimson Tide

48. Moonrunner

49. Siege of Sardath

50. Return to Firetop Mountain

51. Island of the Undead

52. Night Dragon

53. Spellbreaker

54. Legend of Zagor

55. Deathmoor

56. Knights of Doom

57. Mage Hunter

58. Revenge of the Vampire

59. Curse of the Mummy

60. Bloodbones
This book was announced (and apparently completely written) but never actually released. Don't believe everything you see on Amazon.com, either!


Bulgarian Translations

Some books were translated into Bulgarian as the "Bitki Bezbroy" series.

1. Zvezdoletat Skitnik
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

2. Gorata na obrechenite
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

3. Magyosnikat ot ognenata planina
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Legovishteto na snezhnata veshtitsa
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Gradat na kradcite
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Mechat na samuraya

7. Hramat na uzhasite

8. Boets na kolela

9. Demoni ot dalbinite

10. Komandir na roboti

11. Kosmicheski ubiets

12. Talisman na smartta

13. Smartonosen labirint


Danish Translations

Only a couple dozen of the books were translated into Danish as the "Svaerd og Trolddom" series, and their order differs from the original British editions.

1. Troldmanden fra Ildbjerget
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

2. Kaos-borgen
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

3. Stjerneskibet
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Onskabens skov
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Tyvenes by
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Oglekongens o
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

7. Isheksens huler
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

8. Oprorets planet

9. Raedslernes hus

10. Dodens labyrinth
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

11. Troldkarlens krypt

12. Amok-vaesnet

13. Dodens amulet

14. De magiske masker

15. Heltenes prove

16. Frygtens fantomer

17. Tyvenes laerling

18. Skaebnens svaerd

19. Afgrundens slaver

20. Tronranerens gift

21. Dybets djaevle

22. Sjaelesamlerens o

23. Vampyrens slot

24. Hentenes Slagmark


Dutch Translations

Six books were translated into Dutch and published under the "Fantasyavonturenboek" series title.

1. De Duivelstovenaar van de Vuurberg
Translation Of: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Literal Translation of Dutch Title: The Devilish Sorcerer of the Firemountain
Translator: Hans Dorrestijn
First Published: 1984
ISBN: 90 351 0145 6
Length: 400 sections

2. De burcht chaos
Translation Of: The Citadel of Chaos
Literal Translation of Dutch Title: The Castle Chaos
Translator: Jaap Engelsman
First Published: 1984
ISBN: 90 351 0146 4
Length: 400 sections
This book is not part of my collection.

3. Het onheilswoud
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
Literal Translation of Dutch Title: The Doomforest
Translator: Han Visserman
First Published: 1984
ISBN: 90 351 0217 7
Length: 400 sections
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Sterrenschip Viator
Translation Of: Starship Traveller
Literal Translation of Dutch Title: Starship Viator
Translator: Jaap Engelsman
First Published: 1985
ISBN: 90 351 0218 5
Length: 400 sections
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Het roversnest
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
Literal Translation of Dutch Title: The Robbers' Den
Translator: Aris J. van Braam
First Published: 1986
ISBN: 90 351 0343 2
Length: 400 sections
This book is not part of my collection.

6. De proef der kampioenen
Translation Of: Deathtrap Dungeon
Literal Translation of Dutch Title: The Trial of Champions
Translator: Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg
First Published: 1986
ISBN: 90 351 0344 0
Length: 400 sections
My Thoughts: Despite the fact that the Dutch title is a translation of the name of the twenty-first English book, it really is a translation of book six.
This book is not part of my collection.


Finnish Translations

Only the first five books were translated into Finnish. They were published by Otava as the "Taistelupeli" series.

1. Velhovuoren aarre
Translation Of: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Translator: Anton Lehmus
First Published: 1987
ISBN: 951-1-09701-6
Length: 400 sections

2. Mustan tornin valtias
Translation Of: The Citadel of Chaos
Translator: Anton Lehmus
First Published: 1987
ISBN: 951-1-09757-1
Length: 400 sections

3. Kauhujen metsä
Translation Of: The Forest of Doom
Translator: Anton Lehmus
First Published: 1987
ISBN: 951-1-09702-4
Length: 400 sections

4. Avaruuden vangit
Translation Of: Starship Traveller
Translator: Anton Lehmus
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 951-1-10211-7
Length: 343 sections

5. Varkaiden kaupunki
Translation Of: City of Thieves
Translator: Anton Lehmus
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 951-1-10212-5
Length: 400 sections


French Translations

All but one of the books came out in French as the "Defis Fantastiques" series, though their order differed from the British originals.

1. Le Sorcier de la Montagne de Feu
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

2. La Citadelle du Chaos
Translation Of: The Citadel of Chaos
Literal Translation of French Title: The Citadel of Chaos
Translator: Marie Raymond Farré
First Published: September, 1984
ISBN: 2-07-033268-3
Length: 400 sections
Errata: (thanks to Dagonides for noting this) The original text of Citadel of Chaos paragraph 235 is: "you find 8 Gold Pieces, a copper-coloured key...." In the French translation, it says: "vous y trouvez 8 Pieces d'Or et une de cuivre." The translator has forgotten the word "cle" (key) between "une" (one) and "cuivre" (copper). Thus, the French reader believes that he found 8 Gold Pieces and 1 Copper Piece, not a copper key. That is a problem, because this key is needed in paragraph 228 to open a door. There are two other ways for finishing the game without it (to break open the door, or to use another door), but it's just not the same.

3. La Forêt de la Malédiction
Translation Of: The Forest of Doom
Literal Translation of French Title: The Forest of Doom (more or less)
Translator: Camille Fabien
First Published: September, 1984
ISBN: 2-07-033269-1
Length: 400 sections

4. La Galaxie Tragique
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

5. La Cite des Voleurs
Translation Of: City of Thieves
Literal Translation of French Title: The City of Thieves
Translator: Janine Hérrison and Henri Robillot
First Published: September, 1984
ISBN: 2-07-033271-3
Length: 400 sections

6. Le Labyrinthe de la Mort
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

7. L'Ile du Roi Lezard
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

8. Le Marais aux Scorpions
Translation Of: Scorpion Swamp
Literal Translation of French Title: The Marsh of Scorpions
Translator: Camille Fabien
First Published: February, 1985
ISBN: 2-07-033288-8
Length: 400 sections

9. La Sorciere des Neiges
Translation Of: Caverns of the Snow Witch
Literal Translation of French Title: The Snow Witch
Translator: Michel Zénon
First Published: February, 1985
ISBN: 2-07-033287-X
Length: 400 sections

10. Le Manoir de l'Enfer

11. Le Talisman de la Mort

12. Le Mercenaire de l'Espace

13. Le Combattant de l'Autoroute

14. Le Temple de la Terreur

15. Les Trafiquants de Kelter

16. Defis Sanglants sur l'Ocean

17. Rendez-Vous avec la M.O.R.T.

18. La Planete Rebelle

19. Les Demons des Profondeurs

20. L'Epee du Samourai

21. L'Epreuve des Champions

22. La Grande Menace des Robots

23. Les Sceaux de la Destruction

24. La Creature Venue du Chaos

25. La Forteresse du Cauchemar

26. La Crypte du Sorcier

27. Le Chasseur des Etoiles

28. Les Spectres de l'Angoisse

29. Les Rodeurs de la Nuit

30. Les Gouffres de la Cruaute

31. L'Empire des Hommes-Lezards

32. Les Esclaves de l'Eternite

33. Le Justicier de l'Univers

34. Le Voleur d'Ames

35. Le Vampire du Chateau Noir

36. La Nuit des Mutants

37. Les Sombres Cohortes

38. L'Elu des Six Clans

39. Le Volcan de Zamarra

40. Le Sceptre Noir

41. La Vengeance des Demons

42. L'Ancienne Prophetie

43. Le Repaire des Morts Vivants

44. La Legende des Guerriers Fantomes

45. La Tour de la Destruction

46. L'Arpenteur de la Lune

47. Les Mercenaires du Levant

48. Les Mondes de l'Aleph

49. Le Siege de Sardath

50. Retour a la Montagne de Feu

51. Les Mages de Solani

52. La Legende de Zagor

53. Le Dragon de la Nuit

54. Le Voleur de Vie

55. Les Chevaliers du Destin

56. Le Chasseur de Mages

57. La Revanche du Vampire

58. Le Sepulcre des Ombres


German Translations

Eighteen of the books were released in German as the "Fantasy-Abenteuer-Spielbücher" series. The books were first published in a large format by Thienemann and were later reissued in smaller versions by Goldmann Fantasy. Some titles were later packaged in compilation volumes containing multiple books.

1. Der Hexenmeister vom Flammenden Berg
Translation Of: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Literal Translation of German Title: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Translator: Irene Hess
Cover Illustrator: Uncredited
First Published: 1983
ISBN: 3 522 13610 1
Length: 159 pages (400 sections)
My Thoughts: Thienemann's edition is a nice presentation of the book, a bit larger than the original edition, featuring thick pages, a cover with folded ends that simulate a hardback's dustjacket flaps, and dice rolls printed on the bottoms of the pages for convenience.

2. Die Zitadelle des Zauberers
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

3. Der Forst der Finsternis
Translation Of: The Forest of Doom
Literal Translation of German Title: The Forest of Darkness
Translator: Irene Hess
Cover Illustrator: Uncredited
First Published: 1984
ISBN: 3-442-24202-9
Length: 400 sections

4. Das Universum der Unendlichkeit
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Die Stadt der Diebe
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Das Labyrinth des Todes
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

7. Die Insel des Echsenkönigs
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

8. Der Sumpf der Skorpione
Translation Of:
Scorpion Swamp
This book is not part of my collection.

9. Die Höhlen der Schneehexe
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

10. Das Höllenhaus
This book is not part of my collection.

11. Der Talisman des Todes
This book is not part of my collection.

12. Der Tempel des Schreckens
This book is not part of my collection.

13. Der Stern der Schmuggler
This book is not part of my collection.

14. Das Duell der Piraten
This book is not part of my collection.

15. Die Dämonen der Tiefe
This book is not part of my collection.

16. Das Schwert des Samurai
This book is not part of my collection.

17. Der Wettstreit der Gladiatoren
This book is not part of my collection.

18. Die Masken von Mayhem
This book is not part of my collection.


Hungarian Translations

The series was partially translated into Hungarian on three separate occasions, first under the "Kaland Játék Kockázat" banner, then as "Fantázia Harcos, then as "Kaland Játék Kockázat" again.

First Series:

1. Halállabirintus
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

2. A Tuzhegy varázslója
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

3. A Hóboszorkány barlangjai
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Skórpiók mocsara
Translation Of:
Scorpion Swamp
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Az országút harcosa
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Bajnokok próbája
This book is not part of my collection.

7. A rémület útvesztoje
This book is not part of my collection.

8. A gyíkkirály szigete
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

9. A káosz fellegvára
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

10. A haláltalizmán
This book is not part of my collection.

11. Tolvajok városa
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

12. A vértengerek
This book is not part of my collection.

13. Az elátkozott ház
This book is not part of my collection.

14. A szamuráj kardja
This book is not part of my collection.

15. A pusztítás maszkjai
This book is not part of my collection.

16. A varázsló kriptája
This book is not part of my collection.

17. A végzet erdeje
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

Second Series:

1. Űr orgyilkos
This book is not part of my collection.

2. A mélység rabszolgái
This book is not part of my collection.

3. A Ketheri maffia
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Robot kommandó
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Égi fejedelem
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Lázadók bolygója
This book is not part of my collection.

7. Találkozás F.E.A.R.-rel
This book is not part of my collection.

8. Csillaghajó
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

9. Csillagközi fejvadász
This book is not part of my collection.

10. Lopakodó lelkek
This book is not part of my collection.

11. A halál seregei
This book is not part of my collection.

Third Series:

1. Démonlovagok
This book is not part of my collection.

2. Zagor legendája
This book is not part of my collection.


Italian Translations

Several Fighting Fantasy books were translated into Italian as the "Dimensione avventura" series, and two different publishers handled the series before it disappeared.

First Series:

1. Lo stregone della montagna infuocata
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

Second Series:

1. La rocca del ale
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

2. La foresta maledetta
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

3. I viaggiatori dello spazio
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Appuntamento con la M.O.R.T.E.
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Il covo dei pirati
This book is not part of my collection.

6. L'isola del re lucertola
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

7. La casa infernale
This book is not part of my collection.

8. Missione per un samurai
This book is not part of my collection.

9. Missione nei cieli
This book is not part of my collection.

10. La creatura del male
This book is not part of my collection.

11. I guerrieri ombra
This book is not part of my collection.

12. La cripta del vampiro
This book is not part of my collection.


Japanese Translations

Not all of the books are available in Japanese.

1. Hifuku-san no mahou-tsukai
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

2. Balthus no yousai
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

3. Unmei no mori
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

4. Samayoeru uchusen
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

5. Touzoku-toshi
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Shi no wana no chika-meikyu
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

7. Tokage-ou no shima
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

8. Sasori-numa no meiro
Translation Of:
Scorpion Swamp
This book is not part of my collection.

9. Yuki no majo no doukutu
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

10. Jigoku no yakata
This book is not part of my collection.

11. Shini-gami no kubi-kazari
This book is not part of my collection.

12. Uchuu no ansatu-sha
This book is not part of my collection.

13. Freeway no senshi
This book is not part of my collection.

14. Kyoufu no shinden
This book is not part of my collection.

15. Uchuu no renpou-sousakan
This book is not part of my collection.

16. Kaizokusen Banshee-go
This book is not part of my collection.

17. Cyborg wo taose
This book is not part of my collection.

18. Dennou-hakai-sakusen
This book is not part of my collection.

19. Shinkai no akuma
This book is not part of my collection.

20. Samurai no ken
This book is not part of my collection.

21. Meikyu-tanken-kyougi
This book is not part of my collection.

22. Robot commando
This book is not part of my collection.

23. Kamen no hakai-sha
This book is not part of my collection.

24. Monster-tanjou
This book is not part of my collection.

25. Nightmare castle
This book is not part of my collection.

26. Yamogaeru youjutu-tukai
This book is not part of my collection.

27. Star strider
This book is not part of my collection.

28. Kuoufo no gen-ei
This book is not part of my collection.

29. Mayonaka no touzoku
This book is not part of my collection.

30. Akuryou no doukutu
This book is not part of my collection.

31. Saigo no senshi
This book is not part of my collection.

32. Naraku no teiou
This book is not part of my collection.

33. Tenku-yousai Arlock
This book is not part of my collection.


Norwegian Translations

Only the first three volumes of the series received Norwegian translations.

1. Skatten i Monsterfjellet
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

2. Kaosborgen
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

3. Hammeren i Monsterskogen
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.


Portuguese Translations

The books were translated into Portuguese twice, once for Portugal and once for Brazil. Neither series of translations covered all of the original books.

Brazil Editions:

1. A Cidadela do Caos
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

2. O Feiticeiro da Montanha de Fogo
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

3. A Floresta da Destruicao
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

4. A Cidade dos Ladroes
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

5. O Calabouco da Morte
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

6. A Nave Espacial Traveller
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

7. O Templo do Terror
This book is not part of my collection.

8. As Coligacoes de Kether
This book is not part of my collection.

9. Mares de Sangue
This book is not part of my collection.

10. Encontro Marcado com M.E.D.O.
This book is not part of my collection.

11. Planeta Rebelde
This book is not part of my collection.

12. Demonio das Profundezas
This book is not part of my collection.

13. A Cripta do Vampiro
This book is not part of my collection.

14. Robo Comando
This book is not part of my collection.

15. Prova dos Campioes
This book is not part of my collection.

Portugal Editions:

1. O Feiticeiro da Montanha de Fogo
Translation Of:
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
This book is not part of my collection.

2. A Floresta da Morte
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

3. A Cidadela do Caos
Translation Of:
The Citadel of Chaos
This book is not part of my collection.

4. A Nave Perdida
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

5. A Cidade dos Ladroes
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
This book is not part of my collection.

6. A Masmorra Infernal
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
This book is not part of my collection.

7. A Ilha do Rei Lagarto
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

8. O Pantano do Escorpiao
Translation Of:
Scorpion Swamp
This book is not part of my collection.

9. A Caverna da Feiticeira das Neves
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

10. A Mansao Infernal
This book is not part of my collection.

11. O Talisma da Morte
This book is not part of my collection.

12. O Assassino do Espaco
This book is not part of my collection.

13. O Templo do Terror
This book is not part of my collection.

14. O Planeta Rebelde
This book is not part of my collection.

15. Demonios das Profundezas
This book is not part of my collection.

16. A Espada do Samurai
This book is not part of my collection.

17. O Desafio dos Campeoes
This book is not part of my collection.

18. Os Circulos de Kether
This book is not part of my collection.

19. As Mascaras da Destruicao
This book is not part of my collection.

20. Comando Robot
This book is not part of my collection.

21. O Castelo dos Pesadelos
This book is not part of my collection.

22. A Cripta da Feiticaria
This book is not part of my collection.

23. O Vistante das Estrelas
This book is not part of my collection.

24. Os Abismos do Mal
This book is not part of my collection.

25. Encontro Marcado com o M.E.D.O.
This book is not part of my collection.

26. A Arma de Telak
This book is not part of my collection.

27. Cavaleiro do Ceu
This book is not part of my collection.

28. O Ladrao de Espirotos
This book is not part of my collection.

29. A Maldicao do Vampiro
This book is not part of my collection.

30. Torre de Devastacao
This book is not part of my collection.

31. Mare Vermelha
This book is not part of my collection.

32. Escravos do Abismo
This book is not part of my collection.

33. Exercitos da Morte
This book is not part of my collection.


Spanish Translations

The entire series was never translated into Spanish. Some books were first released by Altea starting in 1985 and reissues were released by Timun Mas starting in 2003.

1. El hechicero de la montaña de fuego
Translation Of: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Literal Translation of Spanish Title: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Translator: Mª Pilar Martínez Caviró
First Published: 1985
Reissued: 2003 (still as book #1)
ISBN: 84-480-3604-2
Length: 181 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Nicolau Rodrigues.

2. La ciudadela del caos
Translation Of: The Citadel of Chaos
Literal Translation of Spanish Title: The Citadel of Chaos
Translator: Mª Pilar Martínez Caviró
First Published: 1985
Reissued: 2003 (still as book #2)
ISBN: 84-480-3605-0
Length: 198 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Nicolau Rodrigues.

3. El Bosque Tenebroso
Translation Of:
The Forest of Doom
This book is not part of my collection.

4. La Nave Estelar Perdida
Translation Of:
Starship Traveller
This book is not part of my collection.

5. La ciudad de los ladrones
Translation Of: City of Thieves
Literal Translation of Spanish Title: The City of Thieves
Translator: Mª Pilar Martínez Caviró
First Published: 1985
Reissued: 2004 (as book #4)
ISBN: 84-480-3607-7
Length: 400 sections
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Nicolau Rodrigues.

6. Laberinto Mortal
Translation Of: Deathtrap Dungeon
Literal Translation of Spanish Title: Deadly Maze
Translator: Miguel Martínez-Lage
First Published: 1985
Reissued: 2003 (as book #3)
ISBN: 84-480-3606-9
Length: 174 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Nicolau Rodrigues.

7. La Isla Del Rey Saurio
Translation Of:
Island of the Lizard King
This book is not part of my collection.

8. La Ciénaga del Escorpion
Translation Of:
Scorpion Swamp
This book is not part of my collection.

9. La bruja de las Nieves
Translation Of:
Caverns of the Snow Witch
This book is not part of my collection.

10. La Mansión Infernal
This book is not part of my collection.

11. El Talismán De La Muerte
This book is not part of my collection.

12. Espacio Asesino
This book is not part of my collection.

13. El Guerrero De La Autopista
This book is not part of my collection.

14. En La Ciudad Perdid
This book is not part of my collection.

15. Los Asteroids de Katar
This book is not part of my collection.

16. El Desafio de los Piratas
This book is not part of my collection.

17. Cita con T.E.R.R.O.R.
This book is not part of my collection.

18. Criatura del caos
Translation Of: Creature of Havoc
Literal Translation of Spanish Title: Creature of Havoc
Translator: Beatriz Fernández
First Published: 2004 (as book #5)
ISBN: 84-480-3608-5
Length: 460 sections
My Thoughts: Even though this is the eighteenth Spanish translation in the series, it is book number five by the new Wizard Books numbering.
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Nicolau Rodrigues.


Swedish Translations

Only half a dozen Swedish translations exist. They were published by Rabén & Sjögren.

1. Häxmästaren i Röda berget
Translation Of: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
Literal Translation of Swedish Title: Warlock of Red Mountain
Translator: Mona Eriksson
First Published: 1985
ISBN: 91-29-57283-5
Length: 184 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Per Jorner.

2. Ondskans borg
Translation Of: The Citadel of Chaos
Literal Translation of Swedish Title: Castle of Evil
Translator: Mona Eriksson
First Published: 1985
ISBN: 91-29-57287-8
Length: 207 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Per Jorner.

3. De fördömdas skog
Translation Of: The Forest of Doom
Literal Translation of Swedish Title: Forest of the Damned
Translator: Mona Eriksson
First Published: 1986
ISBN: 91-29-57291-6
Length: 201 pages (400 sections)

4. Rymdskeppet Traveller
Translation Of: Starship Traveller
Literal Translation of Swedish Title: Starship Traveller
Translator: Mona Eriksson
First Published: 1986
ISBN: 91-29-57794-2
Length: 205 pages (343 sections)
This book is not part of my collection; the scan is courtesy of Per Jorner.

5. Tjuvarnas stad
Translation Of:
City of Thieves
Literal Translation of Swedish Title: City of Thieves
Translator: Mona Eriksson
First Published: 1986
ISBN: 91-7940-006-X
Length: 203 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection.

6. Fasornas labyrint
Translation Of:
Deathtrap Dungeon
Literal Translation of Swedish Title: Maze of Horrors
Translator: Mona Eriksson
First Published: 1986
ISBN: 91-7940-010-8
Length: 218 pages (400 sections)
This book is not part of my collection.


Demian's Gamebook Web Page (c) 1998-2004 Demian Katz