Item - Trick or... Trapped!

This book is at least a bit more special than the last one -- this time there is a gimmick, namely inventory management. As you explore the book, you also have to keep track of the candy and other items that you pick up. Sounds interesting enough, but it's seriously underused. Books with inventory management work best when you can either use the items strategically or when the book itself feels like a puzzle. Obviously, in a book without attributes or hit points, strategic item use doesn't figure into the mix, and this book doesn't manage to inspire the puzzle feeling since no items are essential for victory... there isn't even an end score for them to contribute to! So ultimately, the whole thing feels empty; lots of random, pseudo-horrific events combined with a few pointless items to pick up does not make a very successful gamebook. It's not entirely awful, but it doesn't have enough distinguishing features to make it worth wasting time on.

More reviews by Demian

As Demian said, this book is not that great on the gameplay side.

I'd also like to add that it's exceptionally silly and bizarre as well. I mean, how can Santa Claus, psychotic sea captains who bake kids into pies (or drill their cavities), polar bears, mad scientists with handlebar moustaches, and nerdy kids who create monsters with chemistry sets be scary when tossed together seemingly at random? This clearly is not one of the better Give Yourself Goosebumps books out there.

More reviews by Stockton