Item - The Defenders of Dusk

The Defenders of Dusk provides a substantial adventure that will please young or old gamebook fans, containing: an interesting world to explore, likeable characters, simple combat mechanics, a touch of humour, and a focus on atmospheric storytelling. Note that this adventure follows the 'classic' challenge of the '80s, as readers will face attribute tests (failure here may result in an instant death), and be required to locate specific pathways to gain needed items and keywords – without them, progress may be difficult or impossible.

Additionally, you won't get through this book quickly as it neatly packs in a lot of content, and even with incredible luck there's little chance of reaching the end without already having undertaken at least a few failed attempts. The latter stages of the adventure incorporate a lengthy series of confrontations in which you'll need to navigate many options: these maze-like events feature endless choices where you must accumulate a certain amount of points to proceed further. There are also a couple of puzzles to solve to finally defeat your enemy: one is quite obvious but the other isn't, so the ending can only be reached with the use of both brawn and brain.

Dane Barrett certainly knows how to write and structure an entertaining gamebook, incorporating many clever choices and player-weighted challenges to keep the action interesting and tense. I enjoyed my time playing this adventure, and appreciated the craft that has been employed to extend your time spent in this world.

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