1. Knightmare
Authors: Tim Child and Dave Morris
Illustrator: Uncredited
First Published: 1988
ISBN: 0-552-52540-5
Length: 144 pages (pp. 7-107 are a novella, pp. 109-144 are a 105-section gamebook)
Number of Endings: 34 (not including passages which only result in death under certain circumstances)
Plot Summary: In the novella, Treguard the Saxon battles to reclaim
his ancestral home and to defend England from an ancient evil. In the
gamebook, the reader goes on three missions in the Knightmare dungeon.
My Thoughts: The novella portion of this book is quite good, a
well-written fantasy quest which presumably provides some interesting
background information on the characters from the television show (which I've
never seen, unfortunately). The gamebook isn't nearly as interesting as the
novella, though this is not necessarily the fault of the authors. From what
I've heard of the show, it seems as if this book is about as good a
representation as could be written; unfortunately, participating in a
simulation of a TV game show just isn't as interesting as playing a good
old-fashioned gamebook, and the quests end up feeling both repetitive and
overly simple. The adventure does have its good points, however. The way it
makes use of information from the novella makes reading the whole book
satisfying, and there are some interesting design elements: the cheater trap
in section 44 is kind of amusing, as is the unreachable "Easter
Egg" section (reference 42, in case you're wondering). A few death
scenes also raise a chuckle. The only real flaw of the gameplay (apart from
its excessive simplicity) is the fact that the Life Force Clock is a bit
confusing to keep track of. Fortunately, Life Force is used differently in
later volumes in the series to make things less ambiguous.
2. The Labyrinths of Fear
Author: Dave Morris
Illustrator: Uncredited
First Published: 1989
ISBN: 0-552-52608-8
Length: 89 pages (novella), 170 sections (gamebook)
Number of Endings: 22 (not including passages which only result in death under certain circumstances)
Plot Summary: In the novella, Treguard meets an old foe and travels
to a mysterious and dangerous wood; in the gamebook, the reader encounters
characters from the novella and goes on a quest related to Treguard's earlier
difficulties.
My Thoughts: The novella here is a decent sequel to the previous
book's storyline, making good use of continuity and featuring the same
high-quality level of writing. Its story doesn't have quite the epic feel
of the last book's (no threats to the whole world this time), but the story
still works on its smaller scale. The gamebook is a definite improvement
over its predecessor, having a greater sense of purpose and being more
directly related to the story in the novella. It's not perfect, however,
since it's still rather short and feels a bit plotless in comparison to the
novella. Nonetheless, the entire book is a good read on a whole.
3. Fortress of Assassins
Author: Dave Morris
Illustrator: Uncredited
First Published: 1990
ISBN: 0-552-52638-X
Length: 113 pages (novella), 156 sections (gamebook)
Number of Endings: 14 (not including passages which only result in death under certain circumstances)
Plot Summary: In the novella, Treguard searches for the lost heir of
Richard the Lionheart; in the gamebook, the reader visits Knightmare Castle
and goes on a fairly standard adventure through it.
My Thoughts: Interestingly (if unsurprisingly), this book includes
a brief thank-you to Oliver Johnson, a gamebook author who has worked with
Dave Morris on several occasions. As with its predecessors, the book's
novella is by far its strongest part, nicely expanding on Morris' interesting
interpretation of King John's England and once again using continuity with
earlier books to great effect. With its movement from frozen mountains to
heated deserts, it's an excellent adventure story. Unfortunately, the
gamebook segment is the worst yet. It's about as pointless as the one in the
first book, having little or no relation to the novella, and it also manages
to feel far too short and generally unsatisfying. The only notable thing
about it is that it is the first adventure in the series to make use of a
six-sided die, and this is by no means a good thing, since it simply adds new
and random ways of dying. It's definitely a shame that the excellent writing
and storyline of the novella couldn't somehow have been applied to the
interactive section of the book...
4. The Sorcerer's Isle
Author: Dave Morris
Illustrator: Uncredited
First Published: 1991
ISBN: 0-552-52714-9
Length: 115 pages (novella), 159 sections (gamebook)
Number of Endings: 11 (not including passages which only result in death under certain circumstances)
Plot Summary: Both the novella and gamebook deal with quests for the
Holy Grail, though the novella follows Treguard and the gamebook allows the
reader to do the adventuring.
My Thoughts: This is a good book. The novella is entertaining as
always, once again drawing in characters from the past and making interesting
use of figures from legend. Its ending is fairly impressive, and it marks a
suitable conclusion to the books in this series aimed at older readers. The
gamebook segment is definitely better than its immediate predecessor, though
perhaps not as strong as the second adventure in the series. It adds a few
new rules, requiring its reader to keep track of Armour, Dexterity and
Chivalry points in addition to the usual Life Force, Inventory and Spells.
The adventure also has more flavor than its predecessors due to the fact that
it is the first to leave the confines of Knightmare Dungeon. Unfortunately,
its downfall is its length -- it is far too short, making even a successful
quest seem rather brief and unsatisfying.
The Forbidden Gate
Author: Dave Morris
Illustrator: Jan Thwaites
First Published: 1992
ISBN: 0-440-86317-1
Length: 71 pages (novella), 97 sections (gamebook)
Number of Endings: 10 (not including passages which only result in death under certain circumstances)
Plot Summary: In the novella, three children from the present day
somehow find their way to Knightmare Castle; in the gamebook, the reader must
travel to a distant island and retrieve the egg of a dragon.
My Thoughts: The change in tone between the last book and this one is
definitely dramatic. The gritty and historical stories of the past four books
have been replaced by an exaggerated, anachronism-filled tale more
reminiscent of the Zork books than anything else. I
can't say I'm pleased, though the book is not without merits. The novella,
if nothing else, is admirable for including a blind character without being
heavy-handed about it. The gamebook, though the shortest so far in terms of
sections, actually feels much lengthier than early adventures, and by forcing
the reader to choose from a long list of skills (ranging from seafaring to
gambling), it flows slightly differently on each trip through. Additionally,
codewords are used to keep track of certain events, meaning that things early
in the adventure can change events later down the line. While it's a shame
that the feel of the earlier books could not be retained in the changeover to
a younger audience, at least some creativity went into the game design...
The Dragon's Lair
Author: Dave Morris
Illustrator: Arkadia
First Published: 1993
ISBN: 0-440-86328-7
Length: 70 pages (novella), 123 sections (gamebook)
Number of Endings: 10 (not including passages which only result in death under certain circumstances)
Plot Summary: In the novella, a boy from the twentieth century finds
himself involved in a mission for Treguard involving the protection of a
dragon egg; in the gamebook, the reader searches for a kidnapped future king.
My Thoughts: While I believe at least one other Knightmare-related
book was published, this is the last to include a gamebook segment. The
book's novella isn't bad, benefitting mostly from having a fairly interesting
protagonist, but it ends a bit abruptly, and its plot seems a little strange
in light of the subject of the gamebook section of the previous book. The
gamebook here is decently designed, once again using codewords for continuity
and lasting a fairly decent amount of time, though it isn't as challenging as
its predecessor and it lacks a real sense of purpose since the assigned
mission is rather vague. Not a bad end to the series, but certainly not as
strong as the first four volumes.