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Item - Shipwrecked on Mystery Island

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(Paperback, first printing)
(Paperback, first printing)
(Paperback, first printing)
(Paperback, first printing)
(Hardback)

Combined Summary

Series: Fantastic Adventures — no. 3
Translated Into: El náufrago de la isla misteriosa (Spanish)
Author: Wandelmaier, Roy
Illustrator: Pinkney, J. Brian
Dates: 1985 (Hardback)
1985 (Paperback, first printing)
ISBNs: 081670533X / 9780816705337 (Hardback)
0816705348 / 9780816705344 (Paperback, first printing)
Length: 101 pages
Number of Endings: 25
LC Cataloging in Publication Summary: You are shipwrecked on a beautiful Pacific island in 1869 and must choose a course of events that will get you off, keep you there, or, indeed, ensure that you survive at all.
Demian's Thoughts:

This is a good, fast-paced gamebook. Unfortunately it relies on a lot of cliches which have already been used repeatedly in other gamebooks, so there's very little here that doesn't sound familiar.

More reviews by Demian

Guillermo's Thoughts:

This book is not as focused on a single quest as Treasure of Shark Island in the Tracker Books series is. Instead, it allows the reader to experience a variety of adventures depending on choices made. As other reviewers have noted, the book is very orthodox in terms of game design, so it won't challenge experienced interactive book readers much. However, it is still entertaining enough to warrant reading over and over again. My only quibble with this game is that a few of the storylines could have been developed more. Still, this is a very enjoyable ride.

More reviews by Guillermo

Nomad's Thoughts:

Fantastic Adventures, while not an overly innovative or groundbreaking series, managed to capture a sense of nostalgic fun and atmosphere despite the short-lived nature of the series. Shipwrecked on Mystery Island, while relying heavily on clichéd events as noted by Demian, manages to be an entertaining read despite the flaws I found inherent in this series. Fast-paced with a good sense of exploration involved for such a short book, it's a good way to kill off a little time on a slow afternoon. While I can't say that this is a book that will change your life or even set a new standard for gamebooks; it's one I recommend regardless.

More reviews by Nomad

Users Who Own This Item: Ardennes, Arkadia, auximenes, Demian, horrorbusiness, jdreller, katzcollection, knginatl, nelsondesign, Nomad, ntar, waktool (US 1st (ex-library))
Users Who Want This Item: bookwormjeff, exaquint, NEMO (paper&hard), spragmatic

Known Editions

Paperback, first printing
Hardback

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