Season 1 Review

 

Well that's been ten books so this is a good point to call that season 1.  I would just like to say I really enjoyed each book.  I know I made a lot of jokes during all the playthroughs and pointed out massive plot holes and funny art.  But I would just like to say what Ian and Steve did, and everyone involved in the process (artists, editors, fake Steve), were fantastic.  It was something new and they should be applauded that they created something that we are still talking about more than thirty years later.  Its easy to criticize and very hard to create.  It had a massive impact on many kids, including myself. 

We used to visit the local library and just scan it for new Fighting Fantasys.  When Titan came out it was so popular if you knew someone had it you would find out when it was due back in the library and a mass of kids on bikes would descend on the library to try and be the next one to get it.

Fighting Fantasy was so popular that the library had to introduce a reserve system to allow people to get on a waiting list for the books.

If you had this you were the most popular person going.

Then we went into secondary school and such nerd like behavior just got you bullied.  But now of course the nerd rules the world!

Anyway just wanted to say any micky taking is done just for fun and that I am extremely thankful for the superb work that went into making these gamebooks.

Now enough gushing lets have some fun, what does the internet love?  Lists.

Top 10 Ranking - 

Ok looking back at my scores ill put them in that order and then for ties ill go with which I prefer.

1. Deathtrap Dungeon

2. City of Thieves 

3. Citadel of Chaos

4. House of Hell

5. Scorpion Swamp

6. Island of the Lizard King

7. Forest of Doom

8. Warlock of Firetop Mountain

9. Caverns of the Snow Witch

10. Starship Traveler

Some tough choices in the middle there.  But as I said earlier, I actually enjoyed parts of them all.

Deathtrap is number one for me though.  I did actually own it so played it so much as a kid, I think that tints it quite a bit for me.  It should not work with its tough combat and so many instant deaths but it does work because it fits the theme.  

City follows closely, like deathtrap helped by fantastic art.  A lot of these adventures can feel quite lonely so being in a bustling city was such a refreshing change.  Yeah its got the daft shopping list but the writing is such a step up it really stands out.

Citadel and House of Hell both got 7 out of 10 for me.  And I really found it hard to split them.  I think Citadel is an underrated gem and introduces magic in just the second book.  House of Hell meantime is so clever and I love the lack of combat, fear score and layout of the book.  But Citadel pips it for one reason for me.  The epic boss fight with Balthus Dire.

Scorpion, Lizard King and Forest all got 6.  This was a bit easier for me as I had to give the nod to Scorpion Swamp.  As disappointed in the story as I was the sheer technical achievement of freedom of movement has to be applauded.  It really made my playthrough better and although people complain on ease, I am not having it, its the only one where you feel like a sandbox game and can free roam.  

Lizard King on the other side, I found it a bit of a drag and very linear.  But it has a very good story and some epic moments with the grand battle with the miners and the forces of the Lizard King.  Also the Gonchong!  

I feel Forest though I may have rated a bit too high looking back.  But I did enjoy it more than Warlock.  I enjoyed the outdoor setting.  The forest itself I was able to believe I was trekking through and I liked the change in mission.  Also the introduction of Yaztromo!  But its let down by the ability to start again and everything resets.  Just have a bad end where the hill tolls sack Stonebridge.

So here we come to the controversial part.  I have Warlock quite low down.  And I am going to say it, its not that great when compared to the books that came after.  Its a bland story, the motivation makes little sense, the lair makes no sense and the Maze of Zargor is possibly the most frustrating part of any gamebook.  Its probably not the best book to start new people into gamebooks either.

So why is it so popular.  Easy, its the most important gamebook in the franchise.  Its come first.  Without it none of the rest see the light of day.  Its a technical exercise where Ian and Steve work out what's possible and use it to improve on everything they do after it.  So it has a special place in our hearts and you know what?  It absolutely deserves it, I will never get tired of playing it due to how important it is.

Caverns also got a 5.  Its frustrating though as there is a good story and gamebook in there.  Have a look at the review to see my feelings on how it could have been excellent.

So poor old Starship is bottom of the pile.  Its a shame as I was really excited to start with.  Rolling up a crew and stats for your ship got me.  But its really hamstrung by its short length and poor supporting art.  Some of the set pieces are fascinating such as the weather world.  But its also got a terrible maze in it which there was no need for.  Again though, bin some of the encounters and fully develop some of the better worlds and put in another 80 paragraphs and you could have had something here.  But compared to the others it really struggles as it is.

But just to be clear here.  I do not think any of the books were terrible.  I can point to parts I really enjoyed in each of them.

Awards Show - 

I hope this gets everyone talking.  But here is my Best and Worst in each category.

Cover - 

Best - 

I love this one.  Nothing says Fighting Fantasy more than this cover to me.

Worst - 

Yeah it has to be this one.

What, you thought it would be a US cover?  Wash your mouth out with such vileness.  They are without exception magnificent.  

Premise - 

Best - 

I have to give this one to City of Thieves.  I just find the the panic for everyone to get indoors before nightfall really atmospheric.  Especially when you are staying in the tavern and you can here the moon dogs sniffing around.  

Worst - 

Has to be Warlock, but it was the first and the guys clearly still finding there feet.  Just makes you look like the bad guy!  I almost gave it to Forest.

Artwork -

Best - 

Lets be honest I could go for so many here.  Tough to narrow down but I had to narrow it down to my personal fav, Ian McCaig.

The start of Deathtrap Dungeon, so much detail here and really sets the scene for the book.

 Worst - 

Sorry it has to go to Starship Traveler and the terrible squiggly lines for space.

I would like to prefix this with the fact this is still much, much better than anything I could muster.  For example try and work out which FF titles these efforts drawn by myself are.

I feel with me behind the pens Fighting Fantasy might not have been quite as successful.  

The Big Bad -

Obviously I could only pick ones for books that had a big bad!

Best - 

Could it be anyone else?

Balthus Dire is such an epic confrontation, if you ever get to him.  So many different ways for this to play out and it feels like an epic end battle in a movie.

Worst - 

Sorry Snow Witch.

Meeting the Snow Witch half way through, you cant fight her, need a specific item and of course finally defeat her long before the end of the book in a deadly game of rock, paper, scissors.

Menagerie - 

For this one I think ill go with best non boss enemy encounter and worst.

Best - 

Wait not the Bloodbeast?

Yes not the Bloodbeast.  I actually prefer the encounter with Throm.  Its built up well as you help each other through the Dungeon and the fact he is drugged and you are forced to fight to the death really is a sad moment but makes you hate the Trial Master even more.

Worst - 

Complete Nonsense!

Skill 12!?  For a random encounter in the plains that you cant avoid.  The Birdman is even more hated than seagulls.

And Finally, Most entertaining Death Award goes to -

Eating too much Cheese and Wine in House of Hell.

Honorable mentions - Going into Zanbar Bones tower, finding a bedroom and deciding to go to sleep for the night and selling the magic ring to Poomchukker for 100 gold and not bothering with the game.

Final Thoughts - 

These are of course just my personal opinion.  Let me know what your awards would look like in the comments.  I have really enjoyed doing these and hopefully have provided people with some entertainment and amusement.  The Fighting Fantasy community is really impressive.  Thanks to everyone that's left a comment here or in the forums.  And special thanks to Murray at Turn to 400 whose blogs inspired these ones and to see him come back after so long was fantastic and also encouraging me to keep going with mine.

Now I am off to Ebay to get the books for Season 2!

House of Hell

Background - 

Steve stopped banging on the door.  His hand was starting to hurt.  He slumped back down at his desk chair and stared at the typewriter in front of him.  Ian had cracked, the pressure of book after book after book demanded by the publisher was too much.  He missed designing and playing games.  But there was nothing for it.  The only way out of this accursed hell was to write a book.  But he was sick to death of fantasy, and as much as he hated to admit it sci fi had been a flop.  He needed something else.  Sick of this house he was trapped in he started looking around for inspiration.  His eye lingered over the corner of the room and he stood up and walked over.  It was his hammer horror collection.  Would work in a fantasy setting he thought but then a thought struck him.  Eagerly he went back to the desk and started sketching out some ideas.  It was not long before the typewriter was thudding away.

House of Hell came out November 1984 and is unique so far in that it is set in modern day earth.  I say modern day but of course its set in the 80s so its got a stranger things vibe to it.  Its also a horror which is a bit different with some heavy mixes of fantasy.   A brave subject matter for a gamebook aimed at children.  Especially as the world was very different then where certain people were convinced D&D was introducing kids to Satanism.  Good lord just as well they did not read this book.  To be honest the publishers were probably selling so many now they were not worried about the content.

Covers - 

My favorite House of Hell cover.  From the dripping blood writing for the title to the ominous house itself in the background, a lone light on in the corner.  And if you were in any doubt the warped trees and the demon let you know what kind of place this is.  You could get away without them though as just the house itself would be enough.  Its got that resident evil feel to it.

So the wizard reprint is not the best.  Mainly because there is no house to see apart from maybe very faded in the background.  Its just a man transforming into a demon. Its not bad by any means but its not the picture I would have chosen to go with.

Scholastic are really aiming the books at children and to be fair they have to be careful about it unlike puffin who clearly were not bothered.  It is cartoonish but at least its got the house in it.  Although you will notice all the lights are on in the house which is such a waste of electricity.  Greta will be around and no amount of Zombies and Ghosts will stop her.  The demon is pretty standard but its well drawn.  I believe though he is fleeing the house before the climate protesters can get to him.

The US cover again does not let us down.  For a start it looks like you have opened the door to Dr Who's Tardis.  I mean lets have a look inside.  You have a mass of goat headed cultists on the stairs.  There is clearly some kind of hunchback monster at the back.  And a strange gremlin like creature.  I mean I would probably just back away normally but the rain is pissing down here so what the hell, why not.  Pass me a goats mask ill join in.

I pass my shoes to this creature. 

Also a shout out to the zombie on the front who is clearly trying to recruit you like the old war posters used to -

Your local cult needs YOU!

Also its called House of Hades.  Which was clearly enough to fool the bible belt that it was a book about Greek mythology.  Again there would have been riots if they had read it.

Premise - 

Its horror cliché time.  Its night and the rain is pouring down as I drive down a side road in the country.  You can't really see a thing.  All the blame goes to an old man who gave me directions.  I even start thinking he has done it on purpose as he has a mischievous glint in his eye.  Now at this point I would stop and turn around buy my character is still battering on.  But then the old man appears again on the road at the last minute and I hit him and put the car into the ditch.  I get out in a panic but can't find a body anywhere.  I even start to doubt I even saw him.  I go back to the car and of course it will not start.  Well I have owned a few cars built in the 1980's and I can confirm this is not as far fetched as it sounds.  

I start to panic as I have an important appointment to get to tomorrow.  Id like to think my appointment was to sell ZX spectrum fighting fantasy games to the local distributor.  They are in the boot of the car.

Of course the last town is 15 miles back and the garage I saw was 20 miles away.  But like a beacon I see a light go on just a little bit in the distance, a house!  I decide to make my way through the rain so I can use their phone to call the garage.  Not that I have the number so hopefully they have a phone book as well!  

Yes kids we used to have to look up phone numbers in a huge book!

Then things get strange as I get told things I do not notice when a flash of lightning lights up the night that the house is old and will not have electricity so it must be an oil lamp I saw.  And that there is no sign of a phone line.  Well glad I didn't notice that.  Should have stayed in the car.

Playthrough - 

So its standard Skill, Stamina and Luck with a couple of extra twists.  You start with -3 skill until you can find a weapon.  But we also have a new stat called Fear.  So you roll 1d6 and add 6.  This is your maximum fear .  You will start on zero and during the book you will be told to add to your fear score.  If you hit your maximum fear score you are frightened to death.  I do like the sound of this but I do not need extra help in dying in fighting fantasy books.

Apart from that, no provisions or anything else, its just got a section for equipment and notes.

Skill - 8

Stamina - 23

Luck - 8

Fear - 10

Well that's concerning.  With the -3 penalty I have a skill of 5.  Even a drunk goblin would defeat me.  To be fair its a rather realistic skill score if this is me in a modern setting.  Stamina is very high, luck slightly below average but Fear is not bad.  Priority one is to find a weapon and also to stay out of fights if possible.  Actually wait no priority one is to call the garage to get my car towed.

Actually I think ill just go back to the car.

So you make it up to the house and its very run down and you are soaked.  I have a concern that now no lights are on but its almost midnight so they are probably in bed.  Wait a minute, its midnight?  So my plan is to ask to use the phone to call the garage at a random house at midnight.  First if I lived here I would say bugger off.  Second the garage will be shut at this time, won't open again until the morning so what's the point?  I must have put all my money into the spectrum games and have to sell them that I decided to drive through the night!  So my character is an idiot and I decide he deserves whatever is coming to him.

I can now knock on the door, pull the cord or sneak round the back and investigate a light that just came on.  Well I worry I am being rude already so I pull the cord.  A man wearing tails (I assume a butler and not actual animal tails) answers and after explaining my situation he lets me in.  He does say the master is expecting me so that's the first red flag.  As I am waiting I decide to have a look at some of the paintings.  Lady Margaret of Danvers.  Its at his stage her lips start moving and instead of making a run for it my character leans in close and puts his ear to her lips.  This guy has no fear whatsoever!  She tells me the master of the house is evil (Lord Kelnor) and not to drink his white wine.  I do get a fear point for the whole talking painting thing.

I get the option to leave the house by the front door.  Yes absolutely that would be the sensible decision.  But I get zapped for 2 stamina as it gives me an electric shock.  Two things here.  One, if I am still soaked through that would probably kill me.  Two, I was told at the start there was no electricity in the house?  Anyway I am already trapped.  I would have liked an alternative ending where I go fleeing into the night!

Ok its straight out of Hammer Horror.

The butler announces Lord Keldor the Earl of Drumer.  Which just so happens to be an anagram for murder.  Red flag number 2.  No wait that was the talking painting.  And then the electric zapping door handle.  Lets just say there has been enough red flags that we should be out of here.  The butler gets called Franklins and he is told to go and see what the chef can rustle up.  Bet he is glad to be woken at midnight to make some food.  I try and say no thanks I just need a phone.  But instead I am ushered into the drawing room where I can dry out in front of the fire.  I get offered a brandy and think well I am not going anywhere tonight and the painting said stay clear of the wine so I go for it.  

In good news I dry out and relax so I get to reduce my fear.  The Earl explains the phone line came down in the storm and anyway the garage would not come out at this hour.  Exactly what I was thinking.  Getting on great with the Earl so far.  I am invited to stay the night and then Franklins comes back to announce the food is ready so we head to the dining room.

In contrast to the run down outside, inside is magnificent.  I am offered a choice of red or white wine.  Well I would prefer white but I will take the ghosts advice and have a red.  I follow it up with a course of duck and the Earl tells me a bit of his backstory.  He is the last survivor of his family for his sister died in mysterious circumstances, found in a clearing with marks on her neck.  He said the peasants then stopped working the land as they thought the house was cursed, which of course is nonsense.  I regret asking him and when talking about my story I mange to sell him a copy of Forest of Doom for the ZX spectrum, not that he knows what it is.

Wait peasants, I thought this was the 80s?  Red Flag.  I then get options for Fruit, coffee, brandy and cheese in various combinations.  I have a cheese and a coffee.  This is a mistake as something was drugged and I pass out.

I wake up tied up lying on a bed.  Probably the biggest red flag so far to be fair.  I get asked if I want to test my luck.  Erm not at this stage thanks.  So I hop over to the window.  Smash it and use the glass to free myself.  Its costs me 2 stamina though.  Amazingly the door to the room is not locked.  I am upstairs and have a T-Junction type choice but at least it has some flavor.  As there are more doors to the right I go this way.  

In front of me a I have a door with no name and a door to a room called Balthus in a nod to citadel of chaos.  I hope Starship gets a shout out with a room called the Traveler.  I decide to go in the non demonic sounding door and I come to another landing and a door to a room called Diabolus.  I decide to have a peek out the window first.  Its heavily barred so not getting out that way but there is a hidden message.  Mordanna in Abaddon.  I get the very cryptic instruction of when I want to use this information to turn to page 88.  But do not turn to it now.  Well hopefully I spot the right situation if I find it.

At this point I thought I could go into the Diablous room but I am instead herded back to the main landing where I am at the top of the stairs.  Instead of going down them though knowing I can not get out the main door I enter another room upstairs.  And find myself in a storage cupboard.  And find myself a good old fashioned meat knife which I can use for a weapon!  Back up to skill 8!  I also pocket some garlic which means there is 100% a vampire running around somewhere.  In addition I get asked if I want to try the bottle of unlabeled white liquid.  Nope that's clearly the drugged wine.  

Making my way through the store I get to a couple of more rooms and head into the Mammon room as its slightly less evil than Shaitan.  Obviously they were a bit concerned with out and out saying Satan.  It does not go well.  The room is empty but when I go to pick a faded photograph from the fire I get bashed on the head.  I go over to the curtains and must add 1 Fear point as they are normal curtains.  Wow nothing more scary than finding normal curtains!  I then try and make my way out and pass a luck test to survive furniture being thrown at me by a poltergeist.  That earns me another fear point, understandable this time, before I run out to the landing screaming but did you see those curtains!?  They were teal!  

I then head into the room called Tuttivillus and get offered the chance to go to bed and rest!?  This is bad as getting that offer in Zanbar Bone's tower in city of thieves.  Instead I look out the window, hoping it will have another clue.

Its the guy that gave me poor directions!  I mark down another red flag.

I add another 3 (yes 3) points to my fear score which is already up to 5.  I can run to the bed and sleep the night away, which is beyond stupid so I flee the room.  If I do not reduce my fear score it will not be long.  

Next choice I get is a room called Belial, one called Abaddon, an unmarked door or some stairs to go down.  Ah that note in the window said someone is in Abaddon so in I go.  Its a women in the bed with loads of flowers.  So I head over to wake her up.

Of course she is dead.  Which means another 2 fear points.

And another red flag, she gets up and has no pupils as she threatens me.  I am not sure if this is correct or not but I decide to flip to page 88 at this stage before anything else can scare me.  I get to ask her one question.  I decide to ask about secret rooms and she tells me that the masters most secret place can only be accessed under the stairs in the cellar but I need a password from Shekou.  The book then says when I am in position to take 10 from the paragraph reference to find it.  That's very clever.

I am then forced downstairs saying I have explored most of the rooms upstairs.  Well actually I have missed quite a lot but with only 1 fear point left why not.  

Then its a 50/50 choice between left and right with no indication of clues.  But I will not be trying the front door again!  I am in the drawing room.  I spot the brandy and think well last time I had some it reduced my fear by 1.  But this time it restores my stamina by 3.  Not sure of the modern message to kids that alcohol has only positive effects.  I pour some into a hip flask and take it with me.  So couple of search options but to be honest I am scared to look for anything now.  But I know I need clues.  I find a letter opener which can be used as a weapon and some letters.  One is telling the Earl to change his password (sound IT advice).  The letter says even I know its Goathead.  Right so I know know if he changed it then its going to be Goathead1! (I work in IT I know these things, if that does not work I will try Goathead2!).  Anyway what it really says is that he should change it to something to remind him of a friend that gave him sound advice.  And its signed Count Pravemi so I note that down and head off before anything bad can scare me.

The scene of my demise.

In the next room I find myself in the study.  However words start to appear on the blank piece of paper in a child's handwriting.  It says Find Shekou.  Hmm thanks but I already know that.  And you just killed me as I have to add another fear point.  Killed by the shock of seeing some words appear.  Its at this stage I realise I did not have a single combat.

Ok time to call an audible.  For purposes of keeping the blog interesting I decide the normal curtains did not scare me and give myself that fear point back.

So I have a look around the books as knowledge is power.  Looking at one called Mystical symbols and their part in magical rituals a pentangle on a chain drops out.  I get told to turn to 66 when I need to use it.  I then find a button which when pressed opens up a secret passage way and I fire down it.

I have found the dungeons.  Red flag.

I don't know why they did not just throw me down here after I ate the cheese to be honest.  I get the option to talk to them but sorry guys I am 1 fear point from death and I am trying to extend this playthrough as much as possible so I am off.  Ill come back with the cops though.  

Or maybe not.

I soon find myself attached to the torture rack to play a game to make sure I am a friend of the masters like I claimed to be.  So the assistant will give me a letter and I must write down something in the house that belongs to that letter, I assume the rooms.  If I do not answer they will turn the rack wheel.  I get a turn of the rack for not thinking of a K but overall score 14 points for naming the rooms.  Seeing the other answers I see some of the best answers are not room related.  Its enough and now he is worried for his job.  I decide to let him give me directions back up the stairs to sell the story.

I wander around for a bit trying a multitude of locked doors before I find myself in the kitchen.  Now one thing I do remember is that the keys are burning hot so I leave them.  Instead I find the back door and try to get out that way.  Its locked, again trying to get me to take the keys.  

Ah this really is my demise now.

I open another door to the pantry and there of course is a ghoul.  Because why not keep a ghoul in the pantry.  I see his stats ready for a fight, Skill 8.  But its just tantalizingly out of reach as the two fear points I get before the combat kills me off as my heart can not take any more.  

Wish I paid attention to those red flags.

Notable Encounters - 

Ok bear with me while I try and map out the book.  

*Three days later*

Wow that was an effort but its only by mapping everything out you get to understand what a wonderful job Steve did creating this,

Even before the mapping starts properly just getting into the house is an event.  Sneaking round the back is an option which leads to an interaction with some cultists in the kitchen.  But do not go that way as the whole start sequence is masterful.  The whole dining sequence of choosing what to eat and drink sounds like nothing but its a tactful game.  No combat, its all dialogue and sets the stage really well.  If only I was not a sucker for a cheese board though!

Once you eventually get started I went the wrong way and missed the info dump from the ghost bride.

Things do not end well for her.

Yep she gets chased down by some ghost dogs.  It is a good early encounter though as to be honest the rest of the first floor is just full of bad things trying to scare you.  Between headless men, people hanging outside the window, killer beds and Zombies it is not a fun place to be and you can easily end up frightened to death before you even make it down the stairs.

When you get downstairs though the one place you can not go to is the kitchen.  If you find yourself there its game over.  I cant find any way out.  Even fighting the ghoul or passing luck tests you always cause too much commotion and get caught.  This is one thing I noticed, there are a lot of fake tests.  By this I mean you pass a test and get the less worse option, such as less stamina reduction, and then killed off in the very next paragraph.  Nope stay out of the kitchen.  The only way to survive is to follow the advice in Murrays option in Turn to 400 (Still one of the funniest things I have ever read).

The cellars though are where its at.  The sequence with the torture chamber and having to answer quickly what first comes into your head in order to prove you are the masters friend is very well put together.  But my favorite bit is the secret passage to the Kris knife.  All the passwords are valid options that you get hints at but the beauty is all appear to work.  Its only after its too late that you realise if you gave the wrong password you went into an identical dummy room and get trapped forever.  

You can also join in playing dress up with a bunch of creepy old men.

Artwork - 

Its another debut, this time Tim Sell is behind the pens.  Its a very mixed bag.  The scary stuff is very well done.  Such as - 

Come on now, no need to lose your head over it......sorry

Do not try and go out the front door again as this traveling salesman is trying to raise money for some animal charity.

This guy must be worth a few Fear points.

So between these guys, the ghoul, the ghost and the first scene of the approach to the house all really help the atmosphere of the book.  When you use a fear score it has to be backed up and a lot of the time it is.

What's really scary though is the really weird look normal humans have.  For example - 

This is meant to be a body falling out of the cupboard and not an apparition floating by to pick up some crockery.  

Franklins is far too calm here and what's going on with the Earl's face?

This is a normal old man called man with white hair?  Are you sure? It looks like a demon with flame for hair!

Rafferty is not to be trusted, despite his weird rose cheeked face.

And this guy is just a normal prisoner!

The last two especially remind me of the Titans in Attack on Titan.  Maybe he was just ahead of his time but they look really creepy for good guys.

Ah I know you, you are the only nice person from house of hell, how are you?  Wait what are you doing!?  No get off me!

It just looks a bit creepy to me which is maybe what was meant to be the point as it puts the element of doubt in the readers mind on how to treat someone.  You just assume everyone in the house is out to get you.

But we can not talk about the art without referencing a certain illustration.  This was not in my version of the book as it was removed from later printings as the censors were not impressed.

How lucky that a billowing robe has protected her modesty.

Yep it was decided that a women being sacrificed to demons was far too much for young children to deal with.  But you know the sight of a man being hanged is just fine.....

The Big Bad - 

So you spend most of the book thinking the Earl of Drumer is the person you should be after but it is in fact the butler Franklins who is the conduit.  He transforms (against his wishes I presume) into a Hell Demon.

Ah there you are Franklins, do you have any more of that Cheese?

In a good bait and twist as well if you go after the Earl you do not even get a chance to fight as the Demon kills you from behind.  If you do go after the right person you still need to have the Kris knife.  If you do not its an automatic loss.  The Hell Demon is a skill 14, stamina 12 monster which sounds impossible.  Especially in a book with so little combat.  But the knife gives you plus six skill.  Which does not really help as the book says you can not go over initial skill.  Its clearly meant to mean attack strength so as long as you treat it as such it should be fine.  

The Earl takes the death very badly, almost like you killed his favorite dog.  

Menagerie - 

Now there is not a lot of combat in this book.  And a lot of the time you can end up fighting with people that you shouldn't such as the white haired man or the prisoner.

Or the Hunchback, you get quite a few goes to attack him but just get him drunk.

Apart from that its your mainstay of Skeletons and Zombies, nothing out of the ordinary.  As I said there are hardly any combats.

You can end up in a fight with some Great Danes.  Although the one on the left looks like Godzilla.

And some Fire Sprites as well.  The one on the left gives you friendly "finger guns" before trying to kill you.  Some dirt from a plant pot can get you out of it if you do not want an old school fight.

But even though they are technically just skeletons, these guys get a special mention -

This poor fellow had just got home from a hard day at the office!  His belt is the real miracle of house of hell, somehow keeping his trousers up.  His hat gives him +1 stamina.

Entertaining Deaths - 

So while death by Fear will always get you, there are also plenty of ways to die outright.  Some you can do nothing about either if you end up in that area of the house!

Early on you can end up in a chemistry lab and in true Fighting Fantasy style you can try drinking various coloured liquids.  Drinking the red potion will of course result in death.

Cheese and Wine should also be avoided, if you eat both of these you are drugged so much you die.  You even get another chance to eat them in a store room, with the same results.  It never does say what type of cheese it was though.

A pillow suffocates you to death.  To be fair trying to sleep in this environment you deserve that. 

Accidently hypnotizing yourself when reading a book about hypnotism.  

Being sucked into a bottle.

Going into the kitchen.

The amazing one where the torturer lets you chose which cage to go into.  Its very generous and both kill you.  The smaller one you get cramps as your knees are tucked up into you.  And the tall one (the one I would choose) you never get to lie down and get a different type of cramp.

But my favorite is when you see the cultists are about to sacrifice the young district nurse.  You get told there are forty of them but you try and save her, see the hope in her eyes.  Before failing miserably.  In fact the text tells you specifically you deserved to die for trying something so stupid.

Pete's Corner - 

Watch out for Red Flags!

Final Thoughts - 

House of Hell is a strange one but I got fully engrossed in it.  First off its a technical marvel where you have to uncover clues to a puzzle and you can't cheat it as if you do not find the clue you will not know to go to the hidden references.  

Also its so different to other books, with hardly any combat instead you rely on the interaction with other people instead.  Its great to not worry about having to roll high skill stats.  In fact you can get away with terrible rolls apart from maybe Fear which I think you need a high score.

This lack of combat does not mean it is an easy book though.  Far from it, it is one of the hardest.  Tripping over things that cause fear is a constant threat but you have to search for information.  However even when you know where to go its the order you go in that matters.  For example trying to find the golden key.  If you reach the magic mirror room from the ground floor the room is off limits.  You only get the option to search for the box its in if you arrive from the landing upstairs.  Its fascinating but will take a long time to figure out.

Then there are all the false trails and paths.  In so many of them, like the kitchen or the trip to the end of the cellar, you make rolls thinking it will make a difference.  It will not, you are already dead.

One thing I do not like though is the upstairs.  I just feel their is not a lot up there.  Go to the window, go past the store and then see the old women.  However there are loads of rooms upstairs and they are all designed to increase your fear score.  I just wish there was a bit more up here.

But the writing is very atmospheric and I think Steve has done an excellent job here and again he has decided not to rest on the standard formula.  His method of getting around cheating by putting in hidden passages is a much more effective way than crazy difficult enemies.  This one, like the book before was written for Warlock magazine first but its been adapted to full length much better than Caverns of the Snow Witch.

What I still cant believe though is this book was aimed at kids!

Ian "So, your telling me you do not have a lot of combat?"

Steve "Yeah its actually really clever, you see it does not matter how low your score is its.."

Ian "And you do not need to collect lots of items?"

Steve "Well you need to get keys and also a dagger helps."

Ian "I am not sure, it does not seem enough."

Steve "Its got a Skill 14 fight you have no option but to fight."

Ian "Skill 14, my word Steve that's the spirit!"

Steve slowly walks away out of the door as Ian mutters to himself.

Ian "Wow, Skill 14, why didn't I think of that?  Now just a shame about the whole demon worshipping, not sure Puffin will go for that."

Ian picks up the phone and dials the publishers number.

"Yep that's right I have the 10th manuscript. Tell me, how much do you read before it goes out?"

Puffin exec "We read it all Ian, its great."

Ian "Ah ok, what did you think of Deathtrap Dungeon?"

Puffin exec "Oh yeah it was great, that Dungeon full of Deathraps!"

Ian "Ok and Island of the Lizard King?"

Puffin exec "Yep wonderful that King of Lizards on his Island."

Ian "And what about the final enemy in City of Thieves?"

Puffin exec "Oh yeah that big battle with the head thief in the city."

Ian smiles, they might just get this one through after all, despite it clearly not being for kids.  "Yeah that's the one, anyway house of hell will be with you shortly." 

Yeah this is a red flag.  Also I assume we did not rescue the prisoners and they were left to die in the flames.

Score - 7 out of 10.

 

Caverns of the Snow Witch

Background - 

Guess what?   Its still 1984, in fact only October.  These books are being pumped out at an extraordinary rate.  A lot faster than it takes to write a blog about them that's for sure.  How are they managing this?  Lets go and have a look.

Ian is sitting at this desk on the phone to the puffin publishers.

Ian "You can not be serious, do you have any idea how long it takes to plan one of these books!  Its easier to write a novel!"

Indistinct voice shouting down the line.

Ian "Yes, ok I understand, yes, yes, ok.  Ill have the manuscripts ready."

Ian slams down the phone in disgust.  At this point there is a banging against the door upstairs.  When it subsides the US Steve Jackson appears in the doorway.

Fake Steve "What's that noise coming from upstairs Ian?  Its really creepy!"

Ian "Nothing for you to worry about Steve.  How is that Swamp gamebook coming along?"

Fake Steve "Actually that's it finished now, here you go."

Ian puzzles over the manuscript for a while.

Ian "Huh you can go South, that's ambitious.  Ok thanks Steve, here you go."

Ian hands over a crisp £5 note.  Fake Steve looks down a bit disappointed.  He looks like he is going to say something but one look at Ian in his frazzled state makes him think twice.  Then the banging starts again.

Fake Steve "Thanks Ian, ill be on my way.  Let me know what the publishers think!"

Ian "Ill give you a lift to the train station."

Fake Steve is already half way out the door, now pretty much in fear for his life.  He has no idea where he is going but just wants to make his escape.

Fake Steve "No thanks Ian, just going to stretch my legs, I've been in that basement for what feels like weeks!"

With that the door shuts.  Ian sighs and starts to make his way up the stairs.  He turns left at the T-junction and checks the lock on the door.

Ian "Steve I told you to be quite.  I cant have you out and about confusing people with two Steve Jacksons.  Once he is back across in the US you can come out."

Ian walks back downstairs.  Even with Scorpion Swamp he needs something else quickly.  Looking through some old Warlock magazines he sees Caverns of the Snow Witch.  A 200 paragraph adventure for the magazine.  

Thinking for a bit longer he decides that about 17 people would have read the magazine.  He makes a plan to tell them it was just a teaser of a full adventure.  He then changes some names on his notes of another manuscript he was working on.  Smiling Ian allowed himself a drink.  He might make the deadline after all.

So reading about the background for this one and it looks like it started life as a smaller adventure in Warlock magazine.  Ian has since said it was always meant to be a full blown adventure but the nature of the book apparently casts doubt on that.  We shall see after I have played it.

Covers - 

So this poor guy is having a terrible day.  He has just got back in the door of this cavern and polishing the wall skulls when the snow witch has come up on the crystal ball intercom.  She is clearly not happy though and not only has she activated his shock collar but his feet and legs are in the midst of being turned to ice.  Its a double whammy.  One can only speculate what has caused such ire but I suspect he has been eating other peoples food from the fridge.  Not that you would need a fridge in the snow caves really but that just makes his behavior even more reprehensible!  

As this is an Ian Livingston original its had a few reprints.  The wizard title ditches the tortured Orc completely and features the snow witch more which makes sense.  In this one it appears she is awkwardly creeping up behind someone like a pantomime villain.  Which must be tough in that dress.  Speaking of which I am not sure any 1980s nerd would stand much of a chance against her.  

Glad to see the wall of ice skulls made it though!  

Schoolastic also reprinted this one and as its for kids the sexy snow witch has to go.  To be replaced instead by a fearsome monster as thats more appropriate.  

I think this is the Yeti you are sent off to hunt at the start.  It actually looks like a monster as opposed to the poor thing illustrated in the book.  I would have liked them to have used that picture instead, would have been hilarious.

Just to show he means business he has scratched claw marks into the cover as well and the Ian Livingstone has a skull in the O just to make it more scary.

Ah the US version again provides us with the most to talk about.  It looks like the goblins have opened a trap door out of which the snow witch has floated up.  Maybe this is how she came to be in charge as before the goblins and other creatures just ran around the caves and they accidently released her and got enslaved.

This goblin is just as confused at what is going on as we are.

Meanwhile the Dragon has a resigned look of Sigh here we go again.

Premise - 

Well its back to Ian Livingston so I was hoping for a good long introduction again but alas its also just over two pages long.  Which is a shame as Ian is really good at this part.  Not rushed at all....

So we are in the employ of Big Jim Sun as a warrior to help protect his trade caravan as they head north to the frozen outposts.  We bring them goods like spices and in return we get furs and ivory.  Which probably means the wooly mammoth is going to be just as extinct in Allansia as it is here.  Now I have the amazing job of walking in front of the caravans and prodding the ice with my sword to make sure it thick enough to take all the weight.  I can only imagine this would be represented in game terms with a load of test your luck requests.  I am obviously all brawn and no brains here.  

Anyway a horn goes off and Big Jim asks me to go off to investigate.  I find that the colony at the base of the ice finger mountains has been ravaged by a beast that's killed six men.  Its a grizzly scene and I head back to let Big Jim know the news.  When I get back its almost night so the wagons are circled and the Big Man has a proposition for me.  He wants me to hunt the beast for 50 gold pieces.  Apparently its a bit difficult to trade with people when they are all dead.  Ah of course Jim, ill go after the beast that killed six men on their home turf when I know nothing about snow survival or tracking, sounds like a great plan.  Its at this point that real life me realises that Big Jim is trying to kill us off and make it look like an accident.  First the "testing the Ice" and now hunt a beast that killed a load of men at the same time.  

My character accepts and first thing in the morning heads back to the outpost.

Big Jim, Obviously a man to be reckoned with! 
And just look at the look in his eyes.  Clearly says oh great, your back.  Why are you not dead yet? 

Playthrough - 

Great news, I have my provisions back!  As usual Ian does not deviate from the tried and tested and we are back to sword, leather armor, 10 provisions and a sack.  Even the character sheet is back to normal as well.

Skill - 11

Stamina - 22

Luck - 12

I am pretty sure that is my best stat roll up so far.  Delighted with how that's gone.  Of course my luck would be the maximum, its the only way I have survived Big Jim's constant attempts at my life!  No wonder the ice never broke.  Also as its standard set up potions are back!  Always take potion of strength for the stamina!  Always!  Even with the provisions the longer I can stay alive the less risk of a really short blog entry.

So I head off to the camp but when I get there the snow has covered the beasts tracks.  So on a whim my skilled tracker of a character heads towards the mountains, for reasons.  We are also told its an abominable killer monster, so yeah, we are 100% after a Yeti.  And already first 50/50 choice when I get to a crevasse.   Cross the ice bridge or take the long way around.  Well it is a no brainer, who would go over the ice bridge?  Well I did as I think going the safe way is the real trap here.  I pass a luck test thanks to my expertise with walking on ice with Big Jim's caravans.  

Once across the weather gets worse and I start to hear the howl of wolves and before I know it they are on me.

Down boy!  Have a Provision.

I do not get the option to feed them as its a forced fight.  They are both Skill 7 and very kindly take it in turns to attack me.  Well I think they are Skill 7, for some reason the Skill and Stamina are the wrong way around.  I put this down to a printing error.  The do not lay a claw on me.

The snow is really coming down now and I get the option to stop and build a shelter.  I feel it would be daft to try and walk on in a blizzard plus how often to you get a chance to build an igloo!  

What I pictured in my head.

What my character actually made.

It costs me two provisions to sit out the blizzard but when it dies down I kick down the collapsed wall of my craploo and make my way onwards.

And the first thing I come to is a trappers lodge, so I probably did not have to go through the igloo fiasco.  It tells me the door is frozen shut so I shoulder it down.  Yeah I am sure it was "frozen shut", could not possible be locked.  Once in I get inside I am a right dick and put on the fire and eat the home owners stew.  Not only that but on the way out I help myself to his Spear and Warhammer.  It mentions that I don't have to take them as you might want to not be over encumbered but as Fighting Fantasy does not have a system of dealing with that yet I snaffle up the weapons.

I follow a set of footprints and lose my first stamina point due to the lack of air this high up before I hear the tell tale noises of a battle so I rush over.

And find this evil man attacking a scared beast!

Now the text paints a picture of the man fighting for his life against the monstrous beast.  But this picture makes me just feel sorry for the Yeti.  So I start to wonder how we have got to this stage of killing innocent wildlife.  Lets have a look from the Yeti's perspective.

299 - You still can't find your family.  There is a small human looking settlement just up ahead.  If you have a look go to 16.  If you want to look in the mountains go to 145.

16 - You arrive in the human village and they all start screaming at you.  You try and explain you are looking for you family but it does not seem to help.  You raise your hands to placate them.  Test your luck.  If you are lucky turn to 9.  If you are unlucky turn to 217.

217 - As you raise your arms you do not notice the human next to you and accidently decapitate him when you raise your arms.  All hell breaks lose and you must fight for your life.

My character though has already proved he is a bad guy though when he ate the trappers stew and stole his weapons so he lobs the spear right at the Yeti.  Its still a Skill 10 fight though.  Ill have to look through the other options when I am finished but if you are a Skill 7 character I think this fight would be unavoidable and game over.

The dice are kind and I take down the Yeti without a single hit.  No doubt its exhausted from its ordeal of being hunted for so long.  I decide to bury it first with a tear in my eye before going over to the dying hunter.  Now glad I stole his food and weapons.  

He explains that he has spent five years looking for the crystal caves, home of a dangerous snow witch and her minions who plan to bring along a new ice age.  He found the entrance just yesterday as its hidden but he saw a minion go in through a magic wall.  So he put a fur next to it so he could find it again.  Really I ask.  What happens when a minion sees it and just moves it?  He has not thought of this but begs me to put an end to her and tells me there are treasures to be found as well.  He then dies.

I am told I think about going back to Big Jim and getting my 50 gold but decide an adventure in the crystal mountains is too good to pass up.  Rubbish!  I want the option to go back and have that as my ending.  Similar to selling the ring in Scorpion Swamp to Poomchukker.

As I am pondering this though an avalanche hits.  But I am lucky and it goes off another ridge.

What I expect I would have seen had I looked up.

Amazingly nobody from the snow witches crew has noticed the fur marker.  No doubt this is why the Orc in the cover is being punished.  So I go through the illusion and first thing I am told is...yep you guessed it.  A T-junction with no indication of which way to go other than left or right.  No clues whatsoever.  I go left.

I run into a Mountain Elf and get a few options to deal with him.  Nod and just pretend I am meant to be here.  Tell him I want to join the snow witch or just attack.  Well I am skill 11 so no need to pretend.  The Elf is just skill 6 but as I get him down to his last 2 points of stamina I can offer him mercy.  I do indeed and he shows me his shock collar saying they are all serving her against their will.  If I kill him she will know and send others to investigate.  He begs me to slay her and free them and gives me his cloak for a disguise and tells me to take the right hand fork.

Which takes me to the kitchens.

I decide my stamina is still very high so I creep past them.  Straight into an Ice version of a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

To be fair its an amazing ice statue.  

As I am wearing the same cloak nobody notices me after my luck holds.  I like to think I did some great acting as well, scratching at my neck saying things like, this collar bloody chafes.  Next I am at another T-junction.  Although this time Ian gives us a little titbit, I can hear screams coming from the left asking for help.  Well lets go that way then.

I find a Dwarf stuck in a pit while from higher up people pelt him with ice blocks.  He says the very friendly thing of curse you stranger if you don't help me.  Ok then.  I decide any enemy of the snow witch is a potential friend so I help him out and we run back to the T-Junction.  He goes the way out but before we part he gives me a sling with some iron balls and tells me to beware the white rat.  Does not say why or anything useful like that.

This guys eyebrows are out of control.  I hope whomever gets him in the crystal caves secret Santa this year gets him a trimmer.

Well he says I cant go any further.  But if I have a magical flute I can use that.  I do not have a magic flute so its out with the sword.  But to my dismay he makes two illusions of himself so now I have to pick which of the three to attack.  I go for middle but it's not correct so I get hit.  I then pass a luck test to catch him with a slash.  I am a bit worried as luck is already down to 8.  His wound magically heals itself in front of me.  I can attack him again, or smash his prism.  That's slightly too telegraphed for my liking.  Of course I smash the prism and he screams and is gone.  What I did not expect was for a genie to appear and say in thanks for releasing him he will make me invisible once.  Before I can ask questions though like how long it lasts for and how do I call him, he is gone.

I now get a choice of three doors, one on the left.  One on the right.  And one through the gaping maw of a stone skull.  Well the Snow Witch is not going to be behind a non descript door.  These villains love the grandiose such as a giant skull door.  

Straight into the lair of a frost giant.

I can run through or fight him.  As I am skill 11 and still loaded with stamina I go for it.  Only to be offered the choice of using a sling, David and Goliath style.  It works and I do not even have to fight him!  His chest pops open and I get the chance to try on one of the three rings that spill from it.  Gold, Silver or Copper.  Urgh I hate this, one will be good, one bad and one meh.    I stick with the Indiana Jones theme and start muttering the cup of a carpenter as I try on the copper ring.  It is a magic ring that allows me to summon a warrior to help me once and give me one luck point back.  No idea how to use it, I assume I will get prompted.  I can try on the other rings as well, no thanks I am out of here.

I get told at the next junction I have no time to even look before I am set upon by this guy - 

Unfortunately old crystal did not finish getting into shot when this picture was taken. 

Luckily I have a war hammer which if I did not I assume it would have been curtains for me.  Still its a skill 11 enemy which is still going to be tough.  What follows is a very long fight with a crazy amount of draws.  But in the end I win out and he is reduced to mass of quartz.  That's what the snow witch gets for being cheap and not using diamond.  Before I move on I sit down for multiple meals to get my stamina back up.  Then its another T-Junction with zero clues.  I go left for the only reason that its a close paragraph so less pages to flick.

I get to a room with an open sarcophagus and a white rat pops out and I instantly remember the Dwarf telling me to watch out for him.  I am asked if I have some ground minotaur horn but I forgot to pick any up from the store this week.  

So it then turns into this - 

A bloody white dragon.  Thanks Dwarf for the cryptic warning.  Not that it would do me any good as I could not avoid it.  Some ground minotaur horn would have been more useful!

Its Skill 12, Stamina 14.  These encounters are brutal to be honest.  But wait, I get asked if I am wearing a copper ring.  Which I am!  Its never explained how I know what the ring does or how to activate it but I start rubbing away at it.  It gives me a d6 to roll which warrior comes to my aid.  I roll a 6 and get a Knight with Skill 9 who fights him first before I have to then fight him.  Oh great, why cant I attack at the same time as the Knight?  Or better yet let me slip away as they fight.  I got the best warrior who is already at a -3 difference in skill.  

Unsurprisingly the Knight gets zero hits in.  So its a bit embarrassing all around.  So its up to me.  I use some luck but we hit each other roughly the same amount of times.  Its only my superior stamina that sees me through.  But its really low.  So as its body hits the ground next to the useless Knight I quaff my potion of strength to get my stamina back.  I wander over the the sarcophagus and pop my head inside.  (I have not choice in this).

Jesus Christ....that nose ring is awful.

Its the Snow Witch herself, which is a bit of a surprise this early.  But she is also clearly a vampire.  So I am asked if I have any garlic.  Crap I should have gone into the kitchen.  Luckily though I then pass the skill test to break her gaze and remember you need a stake to kill a vampire......which I do not have.

She forces me to expose my neck and next thing I know I join her ranks of the undead.  The adventure is over.

Notable Encounters - 

This might take a while as I missed a fair chunk of the book.  In fact the second half is like a different book completely.  

But going back to a one I missed earlier with my encounter with the mountain elf.  If he asks you where your shock collar is you have the option to tell him that you have put on weight so its getting resized. 

Also if I had taken another turn I would have fallen into a pit and met these boys - 

I recognize you boys from the US cover!

I would also like to go back to the crystal warrior.  If you do not have a war hammer you can use the genie instead.  Which avoids a skill 11 fight completely!  This should clearly be the first option and then if you have not got him then ask for the warhammer.  So you get punished for taking the warhammer but if you do not then you wont get the spear which makes the Yeti a skill 11 fight!  When in the trappers hut you should get an option to take one or the other.

So even if I had defeated the snow witch there are still two parts of the story to go.  The first is the escape from the caves.  This is where you get a couple of companions, Redswift the elf and Stubb the Dwarf.  They accompany you through the snow witches secret exit, which turns out to be a very long exit.

A lot of these books you can feel very alone so having Redswift and Stubb is great.  They have plenty of witty banter, especially when you make daft decisions.  Stubb even makes a comment after you pick up a shield and release an air elemental about your desire to touch everything in sight.  The only negative is that they have no mechanics to use them in the book, they act like NPCs who always have a fight of their own to deal with.  But its a minor gribble and they stay around for quite some time, unlike Mungo.  They are certainly a welcome addition.  

At the end of this escape sequence which is fine if not a bit long you get a really strange encounter.  Its the scene from the original cover where you find a crystal globe where the spirit of the snow queen is in.  She bribes you by demonstrating she can still control the collars so you have to fight zombie facsimiles of your friends.

Hey you guys, you don't look so good?

After this she decides the ultimate fate of you and herself is to play rock, paper, scissors.  I am not even joking.  You have to have picked up some metal disks on your way out in order to play the game.  So its Square, Circle, Star instead.  You put one in your hand.  She has a think, says one of them and you reveal.  If its a draw she says next time she wins with a draw so you get two chances.  Its completely random!  And if you win, instead of just blasting you with a bolt in annoyance and continuing to exist, somehow the crystal ball explodes and that's it.  She is dead forever!  I just do not understand why she would do this?  Unless the most powerful force in Allansia is the Square, Circle, Star council?

Anyway she is gone but the adventure is far from over.  Now we go on a trek across the world.  First in order to get Stubb home to Stonebridge and then to find a healer.  You see on your way out yourself and Redswift accidentally read a death spell which means you are cursed and slowly dying.  You need to find a way of stopping it before you die.

This section is packed full of references to other books which I love.  First off you decide against going to Fang as the Trial of Champions is not on.  But this gets very clever when you get close to Stonebridge.

Hill Trolls are getting ready to attack as the Kings hammer is missing!

This all leads into the story of Forest of Doom.  You even meet Bigleg, notoriously terrible map maker, who related the story of what's happened.  Stubb heads off with his friend to go and retrieve the hammer.  Spoiler they do not find it.

Its at this stage you think it must be close to over as you got Stubb home.  Nope this is where Redswift tells you about the Death spell and you have got another huge section to get through to find the healer.

During all this your stamina is getting hammered by the effects of the spell as you go from encounter to encounter.  The optimal route sees you meeting Redswift's brother in the wild.

Out of all the elves in the world to bump into in the wilds.

If by some miracle you make it to healers cave you have to go through a final set of ordeals which requires you to have the correct shopping list of items.

The Ian Livingston mask on the wall is in good company with all the demons who are probably easier to deal with than how brutally difficult this book is.

Its between the healer and Ash that you learn the healer is terribly disfigured from the one and only other time he healed someone from the death spell.  Which was Nicodemous, the wizard from City of Thieves.  

But after getting over a pit on a log, surviving a banshee and attracting a Pegusus to use as a taxi you eventually make it to the very top of Firetop Mountain.  And good lord after all that your ordeal still is not over as sleeping grass takes effect and you have to remember the correct bird symbol for the healer or you will not wake up.  Only then will you get to page 400.  Its not much of an ending but after everything that you have gone through you wont care as you will be too exhausted.

Artwork - 

So Gary Ward and Edward Crosby's woodcut artwork I can see being very decisive.   After the Yeti debacle I thought oh no this is going to be terrible.  The style of art is very jarring to start with.  But you know what, its grown on me.  I actually think it gives a dark gothic feel to it the more time I spent with the book the more I like it.  Id go so far to say its very good.  But I know it will not be for everyone.

I really like the ice wolves and white dragon from my playthrough but there are loads of good ones in here.

The Banshee is suitably disgusting.

A dead Dwarf on the way to Stonebridge.

This puzzle is really well depicted in the illustration, just look at the detail in the weapons.

And the Nightstalker, horrifying.

Its not all great though.  The Snow Witch looks a bit strange, and seeing only half the crystal warrior is bizarre.

Early attempt at 3D does not work for me.  

Also not a fan of the Zombie, there is just something off about it for me.

All in all though as long as you take the Yeti out of the equation the art is really good.  Second only to Iain McCaig's.

The Big Bad - 

A yes the snow witch.  Apparently her name is Shareella but I don't think this was ever mentioned in this book.  I like the twist that she is also a vampire, did not see that one coming.  You also can not fight her in straight up combat.  You absolutely need a runic stake or its all over (as it was for me).

But its all very anti climatic that you defeat her in person so early on in the book.  I realise though this would be the end of the warlock version of this story.  However the rock, paper, scissors fight at the end of the escape with her soul in a crystal ball is painful.  Its got the feel of being tacked on and its not as big as an event as fighting her in person.

And her decision to blow up her soul for losing the game does not fit thematically for me.  And you then spend the rest of the book, a fair amount of it, not really worrying or thinking about her.

She looks far more badass in the Warlock magazine version.  But a lot less suitable for children!

Also what is with the bird headdress?  And while I am at it, if you were the snow which and only a runic stake can kill you, why hide it in the kitchen?

Menagerie - 

Its a mixed bag depending which stage of the story you are at which makes sense.  At the start in the frozen tundra you get the Yeti, Mammoth and Ice Wolves.

Once you get into the caves you get your standard greenskin minions along with the slaves.  But things are spiced up with the minstrel, illusionist and the crystal warrior.  The Frost Giant keeps the cold theme going.  But I do have issues.

The Sentinel for example has Skill 9.

So this guy is in charge of protecting the Snow Queens treasure.  Yet he is not as tough as the Skill 11 crystal warrior who is just randomly wandering the halls.

The White dragon with his ice breath also fits well for the caves.  But things take a turn on the escape route.

For legal reasons this is a brain slayer and in no way at all anything like a mind flayer.  What do you mean it even looks the same?  Does not look anything like it.....

Just a random encounter to have which does not really fit the book at this stage.

Things of course change when you get outside where you meet Hill Trolls and a Dark Elf plus a couple more.

These guys are dicks

But then they have one of the most bizarre things in the book.

An unavoidable skill 12 fight.

First why are the bird men Skill 12, on par with a freaking dragon?  There is nothing you can do to mitigate this fight either so for me this is a gamebreaker.

The rest of the adventure has some more varied creatures such as the unique Night Stalker, Barbarians, a man orc who you do the old school home invasion on and paint him as the bad guy.  

The Banshee at the very end is also very, very tough skill 12 fight but there is a way around it.  Just remember to pick up some dragons eggs.

All in all the different locations allow for greater variety and most of it is very thematic.  My only issue is related to the stats some get.

Entertaining Deaths - 

You will die from stamina loss at some point.

But if you don't you get two goes at getting locked in a tunnel.

There is also the avalanche if you fail a couple of luck rolls it will bury you.  Curse you Big Jim Sun!

You can also pick up a magic dagger which proceeds to take over your arm and forces you to stab yourself to death.

Climbing into a tree hole and going down a rope will result in you being eaten by flesh grubs.

My favorite though is upsetting a minstrel.  If you make any aggressive move towards him instead of asking him about his music he plays a magic song to paralyze you and then slaps on a slave collar.  Why are people in the arts so sensitive to criticism?   

Pete's Corner - 

Go back and get your bounty from Big Jim and live your life working on the caravans.

Final Thoughts - 

Ok where to start?  Lets go positive first.  I love the worldbuilding in this book.  Having it tie into other locations and events we have seen so far in Ian Livingstone books is something I can't get enough of.  From the major like the whole prequel to Forest of Doom and finishing on top of Firetop Mountain to the small reference to Nicodemous.  World building is hard (I know I have tried it - https://fantasyclash.co.uk) but Ian does it very, very well.  It seriously impresses me.  

Another thing Ian does very well is tell a story.  If you look to all the way up to the crystal caves section its a great stand alone story.  After the escape as well when you try and find the healer is also a great standalone story.  

It is fantastically backed up by the art as well.  As I said earlier it gives it that dark gothic look and art is really important in these books to help you immerse yourself in the story.

But we do have some serious issues here.

First one I want to talk about is the mechanics.  Picking up a ring that can summon a warrior with no explanation is ok but only being able to use it for one fight where it is no use is frustrating.  The mistake with options for the crystal warrior battle is frustrating.  I can understand for the magazine adventure but it should have been tidied up when it got a proper release.  The fact it was not either by author or editors makes me feel it was rushed.

Second is the brutal difficulty.  You will test your luck more times in this book than multiple other books combined.  I got a roll of 12 and was already down to 8 and I was not even half way through the book.  Reading on and it you have to do it a lot more.  Potion of fortune is really required.  But so is the potion of strength as your stamina is always being whittled away.  The Yeti fight is unavoidable Skill 10 fight at best, that's far too high so early in the story and kills any chance for low skill players.  There are multiple really tough combats in this book but the majority have a route around them with correct items or choices which is exactly how it should be.  But the unavoidable bird men Skill 12 fight breaks the game.  No way single digit Skill characters can get past that.  As I said its a game breaker which is unforgivable.  My guess is this is the stage Ian figured out people were not rolling stats and giving themselves the maximum.  And he is not wrong.  I think you should have given characters pre generated stats and not rolled.  Takes away from the gaming experience but should allow better balance.  

Also you are in the crystal caves slaying dragons and snow witches and then you are back out into the world facing low skill enemies again.  Don't get me wrong you need a break but it throws out the pacing for me.  

Thirdly its the story.  I know I praised it as it is good but for me its in the wrong order.  I am all for trying something different and having the main battle in the middle is different but it does not work for me.  The two sections are too different and its kind of an anti climax from where you have been previously.  As a separate story though it would work.  

What I would do to fix it would be to change up the order.  Start with Redswift and Stubb.  Have you trying to get back to Stonebridge to help Stubb be the start.  You can read the death spell here.  Then follow through race to the healer.  Once healed you find out the snow witch is behind the spell and you want revenge.  You join Big Jim's caravan and go on the Yeti hunt as normal but when you get the information from the trapper it makes much more sense for you not to go back and go to the caves. 

The caves then play out similar fashion but integrate the escape route sections as part of the main section.  Including the crystal ball paper, scissors, stone section and when you win she gets frustrated and blows the crystal ball up which gives you a route to the next section.  Then the climax is the face to face meeting with her.  Then you can have a couple extra sections at the end to get out of the caves safely.  

I think this coupled with sorting out the errors along with a rebalancing of the foes and its right up their with Deathtrap Dungeon.  Its frustrating as it could have been great.  It gets a bit of hate for being linear but its not as linear as Lizard King when I mapped it out and I do not think that is a problem.  But there is only one true path that you have to take to be successful and you do need a mountain of items.  The fact that so many are in the kitchen and the store next to the snow queen shows me they had less room to fit everything in.  I guess that is what people mean by linear that you have to go a certain route rather than having multiple options.

But as it is now it reeks of being rushed and tacked on to get it out in time.  That might not be the case but I would not be surprised if it was.

Score - 5 out of 10.