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Product Description
Product Description
This is the latest title to join Fighting Fantasy's brand-new look! The multi-million selling gamebook series is back with a hugely popular revamped, updated package, a brilliant new interactive website and the monsters, dungeons and peril to capture a whole new generation of imaginations. A mysterious stranger offers YOU the chance to find the Golden Dragon, the most valuable treasure in all of Allansia. But it is hidden in a labyrinth beneath Darkwood Forest and guarded by the most fearsome creatures and deadly traps. Could you possibly recover the legendary fortune?
About the Author
Ian Livingstone is, with Steve Jackson, the originator of the Fighting Fantasy series. Since Fighting Fantasy's huge success, he has become a major figure in world of computer games, and is currently Creative Director of Eidos, the name behind Tomb Raider. He was recently made an OBE.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At last Fighting Fantasy returns with a new title! As a long-time fan I am glad to see the series return. This said, this is not among the best of the adventures available - though like most of the books, it has its moments.
The strengths of this book are its dungeon design and the huge array of items available. Many of these are red herrings, but a surprising number have some use in the game, meaning that, even after several plays, the "right" course through the dungeon is unclear. The dungeon is complex enough to require substantial mapping, a joy for those who like this aspect of mastering a gamebook. Expect, too, a return to basics for the genre, with dragons, goblins, thievery, mercenary warriors, dungeons, mysterious strangers, magic items and all the rest.
The downside is that (like Livingstone's Crypt of the Sorceror) it is almost impossible to beat. Even with a maximum in the randomly-generated stats, a player will have trouble completing the quest, which requires beating a monster with similar stats and another which drains skill. In other words, you're not going to complete the book without "cheating" at some of the fights, or else being extremely lucky. I find the fun of the books to be puzzle-solving, and I like to beat them fairly, so it's frustrating when the combat scenarios are set up to make the book near-impossible.
Most of the word-count of the book goes on the dungeon section, so the story is correspondingly minimal, but expect a few plot twists nonetheless.
The strengths of this book are its dungeon design and the huge array of items available. Many of these are red herrings, but a surprising number have some use in the game, meaning that, even after several plays, the "right" course through the dungeon is unclear. The dungeon is complex enough to require substantial mapping, a joy for those who like this aspect of mastering a gamebook. Expect, too, a return to basics for the genre, with dragons, goblins, thievery, mercenary warriors, dungeons, mysterious strangers, magic items and all the rest.
The downside is that (like Livingstone's Crypt of the Sorceror) it is almost impossible to beat. Even with a maximum in the randomly-generated stats, a player will have trouble completing the quest, which requires beating a monster with similar stats and another which drains skill. In other words, you're not going to complete the book without "cheating" at some of the fights, or else being extremely lucky. I find the fun of the books to be puzzle-solving, and I like to beat them fairly, so it's frustrating when the combat scenarios are set up to make the book near-impossible.
Most of the word-count of the book goes on the dungeon section, so the story is correspondingly minimal, but expect a few plot twists nonetheless.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have waiting a long long time for this to arrive...
In recent times I've found it difficult to make time for Dungeons & Dragons but these books provide an excellent substitute; in fact the books supersede D&D in my opinion.
It's thought-provoking than Ian has stuck with the basic formula that he used in The Warlock of Firetop Mountain all those years ago. I have great respect for him here; a lot of the later books advanced the game foundations by incorporating a lot more features and parameters. It's been well over 12 years since Ian's last book and going back to the roots of the Fighting Fantasy system is a first-class move on his behalf. You have the three main characteristics and box to list your equipment - a simple and effective start. Well Done Ian!
The new adventure is original although in familiar lands. Ian's writing oozes quality and a typical "Vintage Livingstone" style is evident throughout. The paragraphs are atmospheric and provide a breath of fresh air from the earlier books. Ian's writing really is superlative in many respects. It's worthy of note that Ian has racked up the difficulty level to complete this adventure and this is good news for all.
I collected these books in my youth and they still captivate me. You will not be disappointed by Ian's efforts here and I have the utmost gratitude for him and Wizard Books reviving the series for a brand new generation. For those of us who have collected these books for years - this is an essential addition.
Please do not be put off by these books roaming around in the children's sections of many bookstores - it really is for all ages and brought back many memories bygone. It's brings a warm feeling to my heart knowing that someone somewhere will be picking this up for the first-time. It will open their reading and imagination to new heights and I'm sure they will look at the other books.
Happy adventuring!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a teenager I loved Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, and some of my favourites came from the pen of Ian Livingstone, co-owner of the concept and series. So I was delighted to hear that, some 10 years on, a new Ian Livingstone adventure was being added to the Wizard line of reprints of the original books, and a few evenings later sat down to relive my childhood with the book, dice, pencil, paper for drawing maps and a cup of coffee.
Things started off promisingly enough, with a straightforward back-story getting my character into the thick of the dungeon where 99% of this book takes place with a minimum of fuss. Unfortunately, from there on in things never got much more absorbing.
The best of these books work by drawing you into the story, so that when you die (as you certainly will several times before completing this adventure) you're eager to try again, work out where you went wrong, and find out what happens next. The trouble with this offering is that it feels like dungeon-by-numbers - there's no reason given as to why the dungeon you're exploring exists, and travelling through it is a collection of disjointed encounters. Helpful characters seem to live next door to thoroughly evil ones for no better reason than for you to bump into them in the right order.
A time-honoured feature of these adventures is discovering objects in one part of the book that enable you to surpass obstacles later on. This mechanic is also used here, but most encounters yield not just one or two but between 5 and 10 fairly random objects to collect, most of which are red herrings. Why? Since there's no limit to what you can carry, you may as well take them all; which means that by halfway through the book, you're repeatedly scanning through your huge list of paraphernalia to check whether you have in fact got a brass paperweight in order to appease the receptionist of doom (okay, I'm exaggerating now). This again distracts you from the story, which doesn't develop enough as you go through to draw you back in.
This is a shame because the dungeon design is actually reasonably clever and you will have to explore thoroughly to find the one true path through it. Sadly, even then you're unlikely to succeed without cheating, because one or two of the fights are so difficult that you're certain to die unless you use loaded dice.
Overall I'm glad I have this for the sake of completeness of my collection, but I can't see any other reason for buying it. Deathtrap Dungeon, Temple of Terror, and Legend of Zagor are far better introductions to the series by the same author, and if like me you read all of those years ago and want a new challenge, any of Jonathan Green's newly published titles are better than this.
Things started off promisingly enough, with a straightforward back-story getting my character into the thick of the dungeon where 99% of this book takes place with a minimum of fuss. Unfortunately, from there on in things never got much more absorbing.
The best of these books work by drawing you into the story, so that when you die (as you certainly will several times before completing this adventure) you're eager to try again, work out where you went wrong, and find out what happens next. The trouble with this offering is that it feels like dungeon-by-numbers - there's no reason given as to why the dungeon you're exploring exists, and travelling through it is a collection of disjointed encounters. Helpful characters seem to live next door to thoroughly evil ones for no better reason than for you to bump into them in the right order.
A time-honoured feature of these adventures is discovering objects in one part of the book that enable you to surpass obstacles later on. This mechanic is also used here, but most encounters yield not just one or two but between 5 and 10 fairly random objects to collect, most of which are red herrings. Why? Since there's no limit to what you can carry, you may as well take them all; which means that by halfway through the book, you're repeatedly scanning through your huge list of paraphernalia to check whether you have in fact got a brass paperweight in order to appease the receptionist of doom (okay, I'm exaggerating now). This again distracts you from the story, which doesn't develop enough as you go through to draw you back in.
This is a shame because the dungeon design is actually reasonably clever and you will have to explore thoroughly to find the one true path through it. Sadly, even then you're unlikely to succeed without cheating, because one or two of the fights are so difficult that you're certain to die unless you use loaded dice.
Overall I'm glad I have this for the sake of completeness of my collection, but I can't see any other reason for buying it. Deathtrap Dungeon, Temple of Terror, and Legend of Zagor are far better introductions to the series by the same author, and if like me you read all of those years ago and want a new challenge, any of Jonathan Green's newly published titles are better than this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very poor
I read a lot of fighting fantasy when i was younger, some I liked, some not, the better ones had an element of story telling to them. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Clicker Review
Very poor
I read a lot of fighting fantasy when i was younger, some I liked, some not, the better ones had an element of story telling to them. Read more
Published 23 months ago
*** Fighting Fantasy Series number 21 ***
Eye of the Dragon, game book number 21 in the Fighting Fantasy game book series and written by Ian Livingstone, is an utterly cool read and well worth the £4.99 price! Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2005
Classic Fighting Fantasy is Back!
At last Fighting Fantasy has made a come back! Ian Livingstone, the co-creator and genius master-writer of this ultra fantastic phenomenom, is back with all the energy, style and... Read more
Published on 30 April 2005 by Neil van Carpenter
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