1. Prisoners of Pax Tharkas
Author: Morris Simon
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson (cover), Mark Nelson (interior)
First Published: February, 1985
ISBN: 0-88038-209-0
Length: 189 pages (201 sections)
Game World: Dragonlance
Number of Endings: 28 (22 failures, 5 worth one point, 1 worth two points)
Plot Summary: You are Bern Vallenshield, a ranger. When you return
to your home town of Solace you discover that it has been destroyed by dragons
and that your younger brother is in danger!
Translations: Danish, Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: I've never been too fond of the system of rules this
series uses, and this first book uses it particularly poorly. In addition
to the fact that the section explaining the rules is rather poorly written
(and repeats the name "Bern Vallenshield" to an extent that is
somewhere between humorous and annoying), there is a point value placed on
each ending which allows the reader to have a slight edge upon later plays.
This means that there is no real end to the book; even upon finding the
"best" ending, you are encouraged to read through again. This
doesn't make the book particularly satisfying (and if the happy endings are
unsatisfying, imagine how some of the bad ones feel!). Despite these
flaws, the book does have some good moments and its continuity with the first
Dragonlance novel (Dragons of Autumn Twilight) is quite good.
Hint: Observation seems to be the key to success here.
2. The Ghost Tower
Author: Jean Blashfield
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson (cover), Larry Day (interior)
First Published: May, 1985
ISBN: 0-88038-215-5
Length: 189 pages (345 sections)
Game World: Greyhawk
Number of Endings: 26 (1 with penalty, 21 penalty-free failures, 5 worth one point, 2 "victories")
Plot Summary: You are falsely accused of theft. The only way to clear
your name is to retrieve a dangerous magical artifact from a mysterious
spectral tower accompanied by two strangers who may or may not desire to kill
you.
Translations: French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts: This book is a miserable failure; it takes a potentially
excellent gamebook plot (based on Allen Hammack's AD&D module, The
Ghost Tower of Inverness) and turns it into a remarkably frustrating mess.
First of all, this book is full of severe continuity problems. Characters
occasionally mention things which haven't happened, possess items they
shouldn't have or heal wounds that were never inflicted. This makes things
rather hard to follow and often forces the reader to backtrack in confusion.
As if this weren't bad enough, the construction of the game is unbelievably
cruel; a long and often tedious quest leads to a situation where the odds are
good that the entire party will be slaughtered completely at random. It is
truly unfortunate that this book didn't get playtested rather more thoroughly
before it was released; a little debugging in the continuity and balance
departments could have raised the status of this book from a barely playable
mess to something of a classic.
Hint: Explore whenever possible (yeah, I know, it's obvious).
3. Escape from Castle Quarras
Author: Douglas Niles
Illustrators: Jeff Easley (cover), Mark Nelson (interior)
First Published: June, 1985
ISBN: 0-88038-252-X
Length: 189 pages (202 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 34 (25 deaths, 6 setbacks, 3 victories)
Plot Summary: You are Derek Shadowalker, a retired thief of the Robin
Hood variety. An old friend informs you that the king's present cruelty is
due to an evil sorcerer and a magical gem, so you set out to put things right.
Translations: Danish, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts: This isn't a bad gamebook, though it's somewhat
imperfect. On the negative side, there are a few minor continuity errors
(though nothing like the problems with the previous book), the plot is very
familiar, and a victorious path can feel rather short. On the positive side,
there's strategy and challenge to be found here, and it takes quite a few
tries to get through successfully (though victory is certainly attainable).
Hint: Don't go into this adventure unarmed!
4. The Soulforge
Author: Terry Phillips
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson (cover), Mark Nelson (interior)
First Published: September, 1985
ISBN: 0-88038-254-6
Length: 187 pages (206 sections)
Game World: Dragonlance
Number of Endings: 7 (only one victory)
Plot Summary: As Raistlin Majere you must pass the test of the
Towers of High Sorcery to become a full-fledged magic-user.
Translations: Danish, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts: This book, the first in this series to use the AD&D
Adventure Gamebook name in place of Super Endless Quest, is quite
good. It provides some interesting background into Raistlin's character for
fans of the Dragonlance series and provides quite a challenge for gamebook
readers. Its biggest flaw is a rather excessive reliance on rolls of the
dice, but persistance and careful mapping can make victory possible in spite
of this problem.
Hint: Presence is very important!
Errata: Entry 41 shouldn't lead to entry 69; it actually goes to 169.
5. Test of the Ninja
Author: Curtis Smith
Illustrators: Clyde Caldwell (cover), Gary Williams (interior)
First Published: November, 1985
ISBN: 0-88038-260-0
Length: 189 pages (233 sections)
Game World: Historical Japan
Number of Endings: 8
Plot Summary: You are a samurai in training and must pass many
challenges on your way to becoming a warrior.
Translations: French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish
My Thoughts: This is the first book in this series to take on the
wood-grain appearance that would last until the final AD&D Adventure
Gamebook. While the adventure doesn't fit into any of the AD&D
game worlds (it's set in historical Japan, not Kara-Tur, the closest
AD&D equivalent), it's an excellent gamebook. The story isn't bad,
the characterization is considerably above average and the game design is
great, making the player feel quite unrestricted in terms of choices. The
only problem with this book is that it feels like the beginning of a series
but isn't; its ending is far too abrupt for a story with no sequels. Despite
this frustration, it's well worth reading.
Hint: Gold shuriken should be considered a good sign.
6. Master of Ravenloft
Author: Jean Blashfield
Illustrators: Clyde Caldwell (cover), Gary Williams (interior)
First Published: January, 1986
ISBN: 0-88038-261-9
Length: 189 pages (345 sections)
Game World: Ravenloft
Number of Endings: 15
Plot Summary: You are Jeren Sureblade, a high-level paladin. You
must defeat the evil vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich in his dangerous home
in order to save a young girl from becoming one of the undead.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts:This excellent gamebook, based on a classic AD&D
module by Tracy and Laura Hickman, actually manages to make up for the
failure of Blashfield's earlier entry in this series, The Ghost Tower.
This well-designed book is pleasantly non-linear and surprisingly replayable
due to the randomization of encounters and object locations... There are a
few flaws, including some strangely distributed instructions and a tendency
for the reader to get lost in the sections of the book due to the complexity
caused by the story's non-linear nature, but these are more than made up for
by the book's enjoyable design.
Hint: Simply reducing Strahd's hit points to zero cannot lead to a
full victory. Be sure you're well-equipped before facing him.
7. Sceptre of Power
Author: Morris Simon
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson (cover), George Barr (interior)
First Published: March, 1986
ISBN: 0-88038-285-6
Length: 190 pages (244 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: You are Carr Delling, son of an incredibly powerful
(but long deceased) mage. Following the death of your mother, you set off in
search of your father's legacy to you.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This, the first part of the Kingdom of Sorcery
Trilogy, is only an average gamebook. The story moves right along, which
is a good thing, but there are far too many arbitrary deaths (and little
challenge other than the avoidance of these deaths) to make it terribly
entertaining. There are multiple paths to the ending, though, so at least
the replay value is fairly high.
Hint: In general, trust elves.
Errata: See Jerry Wang's Kingdom of Sorcery
Comments.
8. Nightmare Realm of Baba Yaga
Author: Roger E. Moore
Illustrators: Jeff Easley (cover), Mark Nelson (interior)
First Published: May, 1986
ISBN: 0-88038-286-4
Length: 189 pages (229 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 24 (22 failures, 1 worth one point, 2 worth two points)
Plot Summary: You and your friend Mjolnir, a dwarven thief, must
recover a magical gem stolen by the evil witch Baba Yaga.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is a fairly good gamebook; it has a lot of places
to explore, some weird situations and a background based on somewhat less
well-known mythology than usual. The concept of judgment points, a score
which changes depending on your wisdom and which affects the way Baba Yaga
thinks of you, is also an interesting idea. I managed to get through
successfully on my first try, though, so unless I was very lucky the
challenge factor is a bit low.
Hint: Balanced attributes should get you through alive.
9. The Sorcerer's Crown
Author: Morris Simon
Illustrators: Clyde Caldwell (cover), George Barr (interior)
First Published: July, 1986
ISBN: 0-88038-308-9
Length: 190 pages (220 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 35
Plot Summary: Once again playing the role of Carr Delling, you must
go on a journey to unravel a mystery involving an old rival and corrupted
paladins.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: Like the previous part of the Kingdom of Sorcery
Trilogy, this is only an average gamebook. Like its predecessor, the book
suffers from far too many instant kills. These endings exist mainly to herd
the player onto the right path; while the book appears somewhat nonlinear,
there's really only one path which leads to success. These design flaws
aside, it's a fairly entertaining adventure and it ends on something of a
cliffhanger... This book is probably not worth reading unless you have the
rest of the trilogy.
Hint: It is critical that you visit the Yellow Marsh.
Errata: The path from 184 to 232 should in fact lead to 196; there is
no entry 232. Another error involves the fact that a Knock spell is used
at one point even though no such spell is listed anywhere.
10. Lords of Doom
Author: Douglas Niles
Illustrators: Larry Elmore (cover), Diane Magnuson (interior)
First Published: September, 1986
ISBN: 0-88038-309-7
Length: 190 pages (218 sections)
Game World: Dragonlance
Number of Endings: 8 (not including death by combat)
Plot Summary: As Gilthanas the elf you must discover the fate of the
good dragons' eggs, which have been stolen by the forces of evil.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This gamebook fills in a small gap in the Dragonlance
chronicles and will be of particular interest to fans of that trilogy. As a
game, the book isn't particularly exceptional, but it's quite entertainingly
written, especially thanks to the presence of Fizban, a very powerful but
absent-minded mage whose role in the story will make the most sense to those
familiar with the Dragonlance novels. The adventure isn't very hard to
complete, but it's fairly replayable due to the various paths to victory.
Hint: Don't go too overboard in assigning points to Spellcasting,
though it is a very useful ability now and then.
11. Clash of the Sorcerers
Author: Morris Simon
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson (cover), George Barr (interior)
First Published: November, 1986
ISBN: 0-88038-310-0
Length: 189 pages (212 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: You must prevent your rival Arno from releasing a
terrible monster and acquiring a magical item of great power.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book concludes the Kingdom of Sorcery
Trilogy. Overall the trilogy has its ups and downs; it doesn't fit together
too well due to the long periods of time elapsed between books and since
actions in the early books have no real effect on the later ones. On the
other hand, by the time you reach this book you have a good feel for the
characters, something unusual for a gamebook. The conclusion offered here
is, unfortunately, rather disappointing. There are a lot of different paths
to victory here, leading to a rather anticlimactic adventure. Things move
along too quickly and many of the milestones towards success feel a bit too
easy to win. It's a shame the trilogy wasn't a little better thought out;
despite many flaws I enjoyed the books and will miss the characters.
Hint: Get Rufyl searching for spell components at the earliest
convenience.
Errata: See Jerry Wang's Kingdom of Sorcery
Comments.
12. Curse of the Werewolf
Author: Chris Martindale
Illustrators: Tim Hildebrant (cover), Stephen Fabian (interior)
First Published: February, 1987
ISBN: 0-88038-432-8
Length: 191 pages (220 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 36
Plot Summary: You are Feral, a warrior cursed by an evil wizard to
transform into a wolf. You set off in search of vengeance and a cure.
Translations: Danish, Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: While I really like the premise of this book, it doesn't
come together very well. First of all, the book itself seems kind of hastily
thrown together; on page ten there's some text saying "Art A" where
presumably an illustration was supposed to be inserted, and throughout the
book the word "millennium" is spelled wrong. The game design
itself is rather unthrilling as well, having several inconsistencies and
relying too much on random chance. This could have been a wonderfully unique
gamebook, but as it is it's decidedly unsatisfying.
Hint: Not all happy endings involve a cure; experience doesn't
necessarily need to be conserved as much as the instructions would lead you
to believe.
13. Gates of Death
Author: Terry Phillips
Illustrators: Carl Lundgren (cover), Jan Duursema (interior)
First Published: May, 1987
ISBN: 0-88038-433-6
Length: 191 pages (213 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 19
Plot Summary: You are Wyn the Younger, an aspiring paladin. As
penance for starting a bar fight you are sent on a dangerous quest to recover
the Breath of Life from the Gates of Death in order to save a princess.
Translations: Danish, Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book is reminiscent of many early role-playing
adventures; it's a fairly illogical assortment of traps and monsters that
seem to have very little to do with one another. It also contains some very
bad poetry. Fortunately, these flaws are far outweighed by the entertaining
gameplay of the book and its high replayability.
Hint: Balanced attributes will probably get you through okay, though
Wisdom is taxed quite a lot at times.
Errata: One of the paths from section 110 leads to section 195. This
is wrong; it should lead to section 2 instead.
14. Trail Sinister
Author: James Brumbaugh
Illustrators: Jeff Easley (cover), George Barr (interior)
First Published: August, 1987
ISBN: 0-88038-453-0
Length: 184 pages (214 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 20
Plot Summary: As Kardel Arthur Dolan, a young nobleman, you must
recover five stolen plaques needed by your father to defend against an army
of trolls. On your journey you are accompanied by a wizard and a thief,
neither of whom you entirely trust.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is the shortest book in the series, having the
lowest page count and the largest print. Still, it takes quite a while to
get through since it requires a lot of good luck, especially towards the
beginning. Overall this isn't a terribly good book; it's far more linear
and combat-oriented than it should be and requires very little strategy and
too much luck to complete successfully. One plot twist at the end is rather
weak and unexplained, which doesn't help matters any.
Hint: It's very hard to succeed if your Perception is less than ten.
Errata: Section 36 ends abruptly, though presumably it's supposed to
be a fatal ending.
15. The Vanishing City
Author: Allen Varney
Illustrators: Clyde Caldwell (cover), Doug Chaffee (interior)
First Published: November, 1987
ISBN: 0-88038-434-4
Length: 192 pages (245 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 18
Plot Summary: You are Sir Theobold Redbeard, a great fighter who
rules the dominion of Lighthall. When extradimensional magic takes your
city away from you, you must gather magical coins and combat a sorcerer
to rescue your subjects.
Translations: Danish, Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book, based on an AD&D module called
Five Coins for a Kingdom, is a very entertaining adventure. It's
non-linear, replayable and full of more-interesting-than-usual (if
stereotypical) characters. The book's biggest flaw, however, is that it is
quite easy to successfully complete in very little time. Replayability
largely makes up for this problem, but a little more challenge might have
been nice.
Hint: Violence is seldom necessary.
16. Shadow over Nordmaar
Author: Dezra Despain
Illustrators: Clyde Caldwell (cover), Mark Nelson (interior)
First Published: February, 1988
ISBN: 0-88038-541-3
Length: 192 pages (191 sections)
Game World: Dragonlance
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: You awaken in the company of a cleric named Lorina and
realize that you have no idea who you are. The only clues to your identity
are a ring, a feather and a bag of herbs...
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is an exceptional gamebook. In addition to having
a highly original premise (an amnesiac player character), the book contains
two complete adventures. Your ultimate identity depends on which direction
you set off at the beginning, and each of these paths is completely different
from the other. This means the book isn't consistent, but under the
circumstances that doesn't matter. The only problem here is that this book
is extremely (perhaps excessively) difficult. Not only do you need to regain
your memory before key events in the story, you have to do everything within
a limited time window. This means that you can get to the end of the book
again and again without actually achieving victory. Still, persistance can
lead to success... it's just not an easy task.
Hint: Memory points are precious; it's probably wise to use your
experience to be certain that you get as many as possible.
Errata: Section 163 says to turn to one place if your roll exceeds 8
and to different place if it's less than 10; I'm unsure which of these
numbers is correct, but obviously both are not. Section 45 should lead to
section 54, not section 189. The character bookmark lists your name as
"John," when it should in fact be "Jonn."
17. Spawn of Dragonspear
Author: Steve Perrin
Illustrators: Keith Parkinson (cover), Douglas Ball (interior)
First Published: May, 1988
ISBN: 0-88038-570-7
Length: 190 pages (203 sections)
Game World: Forgotten Realms
Number of Endings: 33
Plot Summary: As the half-elf ranger Kelson Darktreader you must
defend the town of Daggerford against devils, orcs and goblins.
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: While there are some entertaining parts to this book,
it's a little bit below average for the series. It doesn't offer anything
particularly new in terms of gameplay and while it has many endings, most of
them are roughly the same. The book also suffers from some major continuity
problems; during one game I somehow managed to kill the orc leader twice!
Hint: Use experience points frequently; you have lots, and they're
only there to be used!
18. Prince of Thieves
Author: Chris Martindale
Illustrators: Jeff Easley (cover), Chris Miller (interior)
First Published: August, 1988
ISBN: 0-88038-596-0
Length: 190 pages (212 sections)
Game World: Generic AD&D
Number of Endings: 34
Plot Summary: You are Jadd Hachen, a thief of the Robin Hood variety.
Unfortunately for you, some gems you have recently acquired have been stolen
by fellow thieves. Even worse, you are being pursued by extradimensional
monsters which think you still have the stones. You must retrieve the gems
before they can be used to bring about the end of the world!
Translations: Italian, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book is fairly well-written and has a refreshingly
non-linear design, but it also has some problems. The worst is that far, far
too much of the story is determined by dice rolls. There aren't actually all
that many choices and death comes far too easily due to the difficulty of
many of the rolls. It's also unfortunate that pretty much no matter what you
do, you come across the items you're looking for. This really messes up the
consistency of the story and makes the book's challenge seem considerably
less interesting.
Hint:It's possible to get the blue gem using only one dice roll.
Perhaps similarly simple paths can be found for the other two...
