'Blood of the Zombies' celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series, and I must say it couldn't have been better. You play as a student of mythology who is kidnapped and imprisoned within Goraya Castle, home to the insane megalomaniac Gingrich Yurr, who plans to unleash an unstoppable horde of Zombies upon the world. Your mission is to escape from your prison cell and destroy every single last Zombie.

As a gamebook for the present-day, 'Blood of the Zombies' does not use the traditional SKILL and LUCK attributes to determine your character. Instead, you must rely on your STAMINA, using a DAMAGE score to keep track of how many Zombies you kill in every Attack Round. This makes the narrative challenging, as you must be resourceful with the limited number of Med Kits you find scattered throughout the castle, to counter damage dealt by remaining Zombies.

As you progress through the narrative, the numbers of Zombies steadily increase, resulting in a spectacular showdown nearing the end. The puzzles themselves are rather straightforward to solve. You have a diverse arsenal at your disposal to defeat the Zombies, but guns are the best choice. Fortunately, the text specifies you have unlimited ammunition after you find some, so don't worry about running out.

A thrilling adventure from co-founder Ian Livingstone. I recommend any fan of the series to check it out.