ecl@hocsj.UUCP (09/19/84)
Multiple Path Adventure Books
A book review by Mark R. Leeper
To start with, I am not much of game player. Those of you who know
Alan Gopin will know that he would probably be much better at writing this
review, though I doubt he has ever bothered playing any of these books.
Still, these programmed game books seem to be popping up like mushrooms and
while I have bought only one, I now have been given, one way or another,
more than a dozen. I will review the ones I have seen by series, though
there are a number of series I have seen in the bookstores I have never been
given a copy of, so I know this guide will neither be complete, nor
particularly well-informed. Still, here it comes.
The first series of multiple-path books I ever saw, back in the
sixties, was called Tutortexts. They were not games but courses in book
form that asked you a multiple-choice question at the end of each page. If
you gave a wrong answer, it explained your mistake and might even give you a
separate path explaining some topic in detail. They worked like a teaching
machine. In fact, that was how I first learned algebra. The book was
called ADVENTURES IN ALGEBRA and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There were also
Tutortexts in everything from Contract Law to Contract Bridge. Good series
of books.
The first series of games like this I saw was called "Choose Your Own
Adventure" published by Bantam books. Perhaps inspired by multiple-path
computer adventure games or role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons,
these books allowed the user to have some control over the events of the
book. Bantam gets all its credit for the idea -- the games themselves are
not so hot. There is no way to decide if a given course is a good one or
not. The reader's decision of what course of action sounds best is the only
thing controlling his fate. The ideal age would be something like eight to
fourteen. Otherwise, they still are diverting for a good ten minutes or so.
Because the first multiple adventure book that came out were for
children, people seem to have assumed that the idea is appropriate for
children's books only. Granted, multiple adventure books are hardly the
medium for a modern Tolstoy, but just like some computer games are
reasonable on an adult level, it is conceivable that the multiple path book
might be the basis of a more sophisticated game than it usually is. The
same sort of pegging a genre as only appropriate to children happened to the
animated film. Adult level animated films are rare or non-existent,
depending on your opinion of Ralph Bakshi, but there is no reason a
multiple-path game or an animated film cannot be on a sophisticated level.
Imitating the popularity of this first (I think) multiple path
adventure series, a number of different series came out. Usually they had
names like ZORK, taking the name of a popular computer adventure game. They
are mostly intended for the eight to fourteen set. I have seen a number of
them, without playing. One of the more unusual series is called
"Lifechoices" or something like that. It is published by Signet and is the
same sort of format but for love story fans. It follows some woman up the
corporate ladder or into a blissful marriage.
I have played a series designed by Steve Jackson. Jackson is
apparently a well-known game designer. These games -- I cannot find a
series name, but they are published by Penguin Books in England and Dell in
this country -- are probably the best of a bad lot and are a reasonable
facsimile of a mediocre to good computer or role-playing game. The user has
to keep track of quantities like his luck and his stamina and occasionally
roll some dice to find the outcome of battles. It seems to me that logic
here helps as much as luck does, but I have never played one of these games
to victory, so I cannot be sure. I can say that this game can remain
interesting for hours for ages ten to adult.
Signet has a new series called "Dragontales." Each month and adventure
comes out for boys and another for girls. Each is at least nominally
written by one Rhondi Vilott. The name looks like an anagram and is
probably a house name. The "About the Author" page says she is a writer of
science fiction who attended the Clarion Science Fiction Writers' Workshop.
It is pretty hard to believe there really is someone named Rhondi Vilott who
can turn out two of these things a month, but it's possible. Dragontales
are very much like the original Bantam series. The fate of the character is
totally determined by the path the reader takes through the story. It is a
little better written than the original Bantam series, but not that much.
Give this series an age range of nine to sixteen.
The latest series I have seen are called "Wizards, Warriors, and You."
It is published by Avon books at $2.50 a shot. It is a poor imitation of
the Steve Jackson books which are thicker, better designed and go for only
$1.95 a crack. WW&Y is aimed a little lower and doesn't require dice. It
does have instructions like "flip a coin ten times" or "If it is Tuesday
morning or Thursday evening turn to page 17. Otherwise turn to page 83" or
"Quick -- pick a number from one to ten. If it is even turn to page..."
The player can choose to be either a wizard with three spells or a warrior
with three weapons. Not so hot. Make the age range ten to eighteen.
So what are my recommendations? Obviously, the Steve Jackson games are
the best. Not perfect by a long shot, but pretty good as a role-playing
game.
(Evelyn C. Leeper for)
Mark R. Leeper
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