1. The Castle of No Return
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Mike Eagle
First Published: January, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-43265-6 (early printings), 0-671-45756-4 (later printings)
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 34
Plot Summary: When investigating the strange sounds which interfered with
your TV, you discover a castle in the woods behind your house.
My Thoughts: There's not a whole lot of depth to this book; in fact, it
almost feels like a summary of some longer book. Fortunately, the game
aspect of the book is quite good, with two areas to explore, each with a
distinct mission to complete.
2. Vampires, Spies and Alien Beings
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Anthony Kramer
First Published: January, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-43264-8 (early printings), 0-671-45758-6 (later printings)
Length: 120 pages
Number of Endings: 32
Plot Summary: You win a trip to see three movies being filmed.
Unfortunately, the day you visit the set a new special effects device
malfunctions, causing all of the movies to become real.
My Thoughts: Not many gamebooks mix horror, science fiction, and espionage,
and though the plot device this one uses is pretty cheesy, it's still a lot
of fun. As with most books in this series, the game design is of much
higher quality than the actual writing.
3. The Spell of the Black Raven
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Anthony Kramer
First Published: January, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-45757-8
Length: 120 pages
Number of Endings: 37
Plot Summary: Your uncle, an anthropologist, sends you a magical raven as a
birthday gift.
My Thoughts: This is an average entry in the series. It goes in lots of
different directions, but I didn't find it as interesting as the first two.
4. Famous and Rich
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Mike Eagle
First Published: March, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-47375-1
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 43
Plot Summary: A mysterious old man gives you the opportunity to become an
explorer, a detective, or a movie star.
My Thoughts: Like the second book in the series, this one includes many
different kinds of adventure all in one story. It's quite entertaining.
5. Lost in a Strange Land
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Lorna Tomei
First Published: April, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-44110-8
Length: 133 pages
Number of Endings: 43
Plot Summary: When exploring lava tunnels in an old volcano, you come
across a magical world of fantasy.
My Thoughts: These Which Way books sure manage to cram a lot of
stuff into a small amount of space; there are so many myths and legends
referred to here it's hard to keep track of them (though they are all very,
very familiar). All in all, a pretty good fantasy adventure, assuming you
can deal with the literary shortcomings of this series.
6. Sugarcane Island
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Barbara Carter
First Published: March, 1978 (see below for further details)
ISBN: 0-671-47377-8
Length: 119 pages
Number of Endings: 39
Plot Summary: Your ship is wrecked by a huge wave and you must find a way
to survive on an isolated and dangerous island.
My Thoughts: This is historically a very important book, being one of
the earliest gamebooks ever published. It was written in 1969 and first
printed in 1976 by Vermont Crossroads Press. In 1978, it was reprinted
as an Archway paperback, first under the Adventures of You banner and
later without it. In 1982, the cover was slightly changed, and the book
became part of the Which Way series. In 1986, the
book was revised and expanded and published as Choose
Your Own Adventure #62. This book wouldn't be particularly exceptional
if it weren't among the first of its kind, but it's worth reading if only to
see where it all started.
7. Curse of the Sunken Treasure
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Lorna Tomei
First Published: June, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-45098-0
Length: 115 pages
Number of Endings: 40
Plot Summary: A green light wakes you one night and your attempts to locate
its source lead you to treasure hunters.
My Thoughts: Despite its combination of sea serpents, aliens, and pirates,
this book doesn't have as much variety as many of the other books in this
series. Fortunately, it does have a few decoder puzzles to liven things up
a bit, though they aren't very important to the flow of the book.
8. Cosmic Encounters
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Doug Jamieson
First Published: September, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-45097-2
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 39
Plot Summary: Your first solo space flight leads you to various science
fiction adventures.
My Thoughts: For some reason this book seemed worse than usual... I just
didn't like it very much, perhaps because it starts off with a fairly stupid
and unlikely situation and gets sillier from there. You'd think after three
years of training you'd follow basic safety procedures more carefully!
Sheesh.
9. Creatures of the Dark
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Gordon Tomei
First Published: December, 1982
ISBN: 0-671-46021-8
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 35
Plot Summary: You are sucked from your boat into a strange fantasy world.
My Thoughts: Some of the mythological creatures that were missed in book 5
are covered here, plus the typical R. G. Austin aliens are present. The most
interesting novelty in this book is a series of pages which must be passed by
solving math problems... This is an interesting change of pace, but is not
unique. Math problems have also been featured in the Fighting Fantasy
and Lone Wolf series.
10. Invasion of the Black Slime
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Joseph A. Smith
First Published: March, 1983
ISBN: 0-671-46020-X
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 24
Plot Summary: After a cross-country bike trip, you experience something
horrible - an encounter with mysterious slime, a visit to the house of a mad
scientist, or a night in a haunted house!
My Thoughts: The slime and mad doctor stories are pretty typical... The
haunted house one tries to represent the endurance test of spending the
night by making you read 17 pages of text with no choices. Unfortunately,
this isn't particularly effective, and simply makes the book a lot less
interactive. On the up side, this book contains some scenes which are
actually fairly horrific; most gamebooks for this age group are much weaker
in their attempts to be scary.
11. Space Raiders and the Planet of Doom
Author: Stephen Mooser
Illustrator: Gordon Tomei
First Published: August, 1983
ISBN: 0-671-46732-8
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 42
Plot Summary: You are an assistant working for a space salvage operation.
While everyone else is away on vacation, two opportunities present
themselves. You can attempt to prevent a huge explosion or you can battle
space pirates. Either way, you may end up with lots of money!
My Thoughts: There's more text in this book than in most Which Way
books, but that doesn't stop it from having lots of twists and endings.
There's nothing unusual here, but it's not a bad science fiction adventure.
Much to my joy, my copy is
autographed!
12. Trapped in the Black Box
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Doug Jamieson
First Published: December, 1983
ISBN: 0-671-46731-X
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 36
Plot Summary: You volunteer to test the time-travel devices in an amazing
new museum and are given the opportunity to explore the World of Fantasy
Creatures, the Earth of the Future, or the World of Dreams.
My Thoughts: This stands out as one of the strangest of the Which Way
gamebooks. The World of Dreams section is surreal, the World of Fantasy
Creatures features a vampire riding a Brontosaurus, and at one point you
will be given any wish in the world if you can find 40 words in the word
MANTICORES. Wonderful stuff!
13. Starship Warrior
Author: Stephen Mooser
Illustrator: Gordon Tomei
First Published: April, 1984
ISBN: 0-671-50859-8
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 39
Plot Summary: You are a reporter in the future. You are given a choice:
witness the capture of an intergalactic gangster or attend the test of a
new matter-transmission device.
My Thoughts: This is definitely one of the worst Which Way books. The
plot is even more derivative and stupid than usual, most of the characters
are half-human/half-animal, and there's nothing new in the gameplay.
14. Poltergeists, Ghosts and Psychic Encounters
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Joseph A. Smith
First Published: May, 1984
ISBN: 0-671-46977-0
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 19
Plot Summary: You go on vacation to visit your uncle and end up
investigating various strange occurences with him.
My Thoughts: The stories told in this book are some of the best in the
series, and it appears that some research went into the book. There are
also instructions for testing your ESP. All in all, a nifty little book.
15. Star Trek: Voyage to Adventure
Author: John M. Ford (credited as Michael J. Dodge)
Illustrator: Gordon Tomei
First Published: June, 1984
ISBN: 0-671-50989-6 (original cover), 0-671-62492-X (new cover)
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 46
Plot Summary: You are an ensign assigned to the starship Enterprise. You
are given the choice to work in engineering, on the bridge, or in the science
laboratory.
My Thoughts: There's nothing too special about this as a gamebook, but
it is probably of interest to Star Trek collectors and fans. Probably
because of the Star Trek license, the book was successful enough to get
reprinted several times, ultimately showing up with the revised look of the
last few books in the series.
16. The Shadow Stealers
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Paul Lehr (cover), Gordon Tomei (interior)
First Published: December, 1984
ISBN: 0-671-52635-9
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 34
Plot Summary: Your job as a reporter allows you to discover the horrible
truth - the Earth has been invaded by aliens!
My Thoughts: This book has a more unified plot than many gamebooks, which
makes it fairly interesting even though it doesn't have anything particularly
unusual in it.
17. Invasion of the Mutants
Author: Stephen Mooser
Illustrator: Paul Alexander (cover), Lorna Tomei (interior)
First Published: January, 1985
ISBN: 0-671-52634-0
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 43
Plot Summary: You are accepted into the Galactic Starsquad and presented
with two possible missions: enter a race to raise money for a new medical
ship or deliver an antidote to a planet afflicted by a terrible plague.
My Thoughts: This is a typical Stephen Mooser book - a collection of
relatively uninteresting science fiction cliches without any real innovation.
The most notable thing about this book is that it is the first in the series
to use a more colorful logo on the cover.
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18. Islands of Terror
Authors: Rita Golden Gelman and Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Paul Alexander (cover), Joseph A. Smith (interior)
First Published: February, 1985
ISBN: 0-671-52636-9
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 31
Plot Summary: You discover strange worlds in the Bermuda Triangle after
your cruise ship is destroyed.
My Thoughts: This is another Which Way book made more interesting by
unusual details - it has a visual puzzle and a language glossary for some
mysterious creatures. These extras make the whole thing a bit more fun. On
an unrelated note, some may be interested to know that the price of this book
was raised before the first printing sold out -- both copies pictured above
are first editions, but look what's been done to the price of the one on the
right!
19. Nightmare Planet
Author: Stephen Mooser
Illustrator: Romas Kukalis (cover), Joseph A. Smith (interior)
First Published: May, 1985
ISBN: 0-671-52633-2
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 45
Plot Summary: You're a young scout working for some sort of space
patrolling organization, and you have a choice of missions: investigate the
disappearance of intelligent life from planet 3CG, or battle a gigantic,
world-destroying crystal in the Signus Arton system.
My Thoughts: This book has it all: magic, space pirates, starship
battles, giant monsters... but it somehow manages not to be terribly
engaging, despite a few amusing moments thrown in here and there.
20. Mind Bandits
Author: Stephen Mooser
Illustrator: Romas Kukalis (cover), Joseph A. Smith (interior)
First Published: August, 1985
ISBN: 0-671-55829-3
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 41
Plot Summary: You are the last person left on space station
Star Voyager One after the rest of the crew have disappeared due
to causes unknown...
My Thoughts: This
autographed
copy was a gift from the author (for which I am most grateful, since it
completed my set!). The book's setup initially seems to show a potential
for claustrophobic horror reminiscent of Invasion of the Black Slime.
Unfortunately, this potential isn't used, but the twisted and action-packed
paths that the book follows have some great moments ("Over the years,
you've grown attached to your brain...") and lots of variety.
21. Ten-Ton Monster
Author: Nancy Lamb (credited as R. G. Austin)
Illustrator: Les Edwards (cover), Joseph A. Smith (interior)
First Published: December, 1985
ISBN: 0-671-55820-X
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 38
Plot Summary: In order to become the Grand Master of your planet, you have
to complete three dangerous missions: kill a huge monster, defeat an
infamous criminal, and destroy a magic crystal.
My Thoughts: This Which Way book is quite good; it has three distinct
missions, but in order to be completely victorious you have to finish
all three missions. This makes it more coherent than most books in the
series, yet still retains the variety that makes the series interesting.
This is also the first Which Way book to use the third and final cover
design, which uses a new logo, a larger cover illustration, and a bright
background color.
22. The Champ of TV Wrestling
Authors: Barbara Siegel & Scott Siegel
Illustrator: Richard Berry (cover), Joseph A. Smith (interior)
First Published: February, 1986
ISBN: 0-671-61094-5
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 29
Plot Summary: Your intense dislike for the current reigning champion of
TV wrestling induces you to attempt to fight your way to the top.
My Thoughts: This is not a high point in the series. A combat oriented
book isn't too interesting without a combat system, and there are enough
bad puns to cause severe internal bleeding.
23. Monster Express
Author: Stephen Mooser
Illustrator: Don Brautigam (cover), Joseph A. Smith (interior)
First Published: March, 1986
ISBN: 0-671-55828-5
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 43
Plot Summary: You are an employee of the Starstreak Express Messenger
Service. You are given a choice of two important assignments: deliver
a letter announcing the successor to a throne or return a priceless
figurine to its rightful home planet.
My Thoughts: This is probably Stephen Mooser's best work, with some neat
riddles and a slightly more interesting plot than usual.
24. Star Trek: Phaser Fight
Authors: Barbara Siegel & Scott Siegel
Illustrator: Boris Vallejo (cover), Gordon Tomei (interior)
First Published: December, 1986
ISBN: 0-671-63248-5
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 28
Plot Summary: Once again, you are an ensign assigned to the Enterprise to
gain experience. This time, you get to choose between working with McCoy,
Spock, or Kirk.
My Thoughts: This book is almost exactly like Star Trek: Voyage to
Adventure. It's slightly better written, but still not terribly notable
as a gamebook. The Star Trek content and Boris Vallejo cover might
make it something of a collector's item, though. This was the last book in
the Which Way series.