Item - The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek

Maybe it's just my unusually high tolerance for R.L. Stine's work, but the over-the-top goofiness inherent to the series actually works in this book's favor (such as giant toads that can sing, and your friend being hooked up to glowing jars of pickles), and I consider it a fairly accurate representation of both the best and worst this series has to offer. It is somewhat of a guilty pleasure, though, since a lot of it is just awful. Then again, that's Stine for you; most of his works are pretty bad, with good bits thrown in here and there, and if you find it for a buck or two, and were already interested in the series, it's probably worth picking up.

More reviews by Darth Rabbitt

As a gamebook, this book is a failure. However, I do think that the book's value is a fascinating look into the author's mind. How did the author come up with these bizarre ideas? If this was expanded into a full game system with the same author but in a different series with a few hundred references, I think this adventure would be particularly memorable and entertaining. That is of course, if the author was willing to put enough into it to make it as high quality as possible.

More reviews by deleted-user-12219

This book is considerably weaker than the previous three. The plot is fairly aimless, the internal consistency is poor, and there's nothing particularly unusual about the gameplay.

More reviews by Demian

This book is much weaker than the previous three. Not only did the plot fail to fully capture my attention, the story and subsequent choices both feel directionless, rushed, and at many times, aloof. I know that many critics of the Give Yourself Goosebumps series are quick to point out the randomness and trippy-ness that plagues many of these books. While I do not necessarily mind some of the random, trippy scenarios found in these books, it bothers me in this instance because it takes away focus from the main storyline. I believe that this book would have been more successful had it gone for less silly endings; in my opinion, more work on the book's core focus would have provided a more enjoyable read.

More reviews by Enigmatic Synergy

No book in this series has a plot that could be considered 'good' by any measure. Give Yourself Goosebumps is not about the scares or solving goal-oriented mysteries. Mainly, the series is enjoyable for its off-the-wall (but by no means original) sense of humour. The bar for judging these books is not very high to say the least. At times they seem vaguely similar to the worst "work" of R. A. Montgomery.

Dr. Eeek is no exception. It consists entirely of random, silly and often bizarre events strung together haphazardly. It is far from the best book in the series. Whoever wrote this took the whole 'top secret lab' setting and stretched it as far as it would go - and that's pretty far. I won't say this is something to be avoided like the plague, but one should definitely not expect to be horrified while reading or to find a highbrow, good quality gamebook between the covers.

More reviews by Stockton