1. The Cave of Time
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (interior and original cover), James Warhola (reissue cover)
First Published: 1979
ISBN: 0-553-12790-X (early printings), 0-553-14004-3 (later printings), 0-553-26965-8 (even later printings)
Length: 115 pages
Number of Endings: 40
Plot Summary: You wander into a cave which transports you randomly through
time, leading to all manner of adventures.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish, Urdu
My Thoughts: This is a good start to a good series. There's nothing out of
the ordinary in terms of gameplay, but the adventure is nonetheless memorable
and entertaining. It's also worth noting that this book was made into a
computer game for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in the mid 1980s.
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5. The Mystery of Chimney Rock
Reissue Title: The Curse of the Haunted Mansion
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (interior and original cover), Jacques Devaud (reissue cover)
First Published: January, 1980
ISBN: 0-553-14001-9 (early printings), 0-553-23184-7 (later printings), 0-553-27419-8 (even later printings)
Length: 121 pages
Number of Endings: 36 (listed as 40 on some early editions)
Plot Summary: While visiting your cousins Michael and Jane in Connecticut,
you end up exploring a supposedly cursed house which is said to be occupied
only by the cat of a dead woman.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Urdu
My Thoughts: This is a good horrific adventure; it's very strange at times
and has a slightly creepy atmosphere (which, of course, is desirable).
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6. Your Code Name is Jonah
Reissue Title: Spy Trap
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (interior and original cover), Don Gabriel (reissue cover)
First Published: January, 1980 (original)
ISBN: 0-553-14002-7 (early printings), 0-553-20913-2 (later printings), 0-553-23182-0 (even later printings)
Length: 114 pages
Number of Endings: 27 (listed as 40 on some early editions)
Plot Summary: As an agent of the Special Intelligence Group, you must fight
Russian spies and discover the secret of a mysterious new whale song.
Collected In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box #2
Translations: Catalan, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This book has a rather dated and uninvolving story, but it's
not all that bad.
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7. The Third Planet from Altair
Reissue Title: Message from Space
British Alternate Title: Exploration Infinity
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Barbara Carter (Lippincott Original and Exploration Infinity interior illustrations), Geoff Hunt (Exploration Infinity cover), Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (this series interior and first cover)
First Published: November, 1980 (earlier edition published in April, 1979, Exploration Infinity published in 1982, reissue published in August, 1989)
ISBN: 0-397-31827-8 (Lippincott regular edition), 0-397-31884-7 (Lippencott library binding), 0-553-13978-9 (early CYOA printings), 0-553-20980-9 (later CYOA printings), 0-553-23185-5 (even later CYOA printings), 0416244505 (Exploration Infinity)
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 38
Library of Congress Summary: The reader, en route to the third planet
from Altair to seek the source and meaning of extraterrestrial messages, is
given choices to make determining the course of the spaceship and the survival
of the crew.
Plot Summary: When alien signals are detected coming from a planet orbiting
the distant star Altair, you are asked to travel into space to find their
senders. On your journey you are accompanied by Captain Bud Stanton,
Professor Henry Pickens, and Dr. Nera Vivaldi.
Collected In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box #2
Translations: Dutch, Italian, Spanish (North America)
My Thoughts: This is an above average science fiction gamebook with an
interesting story and excellent internal consistency. Before becoming
part of this series, it was released by Lippincott. The book was also
released in England as a stand-alone book called Exploration Infinity.
I have the Lippincott library binding edition in my collection, but I lack
Exploration Infinity. For those interested in examining the structure
of the book, Ace High sent in an Excel
spreadsheet showing a map of the book's sections.
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8. Deadwood City
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Barbara Carter (Lippincott original), Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (this series)
First Published: November, 1980 (Lippincott version published in January, 1978)
ISBN: 0-397-31783-2 (Lippincott hardback), 0-397-31798-0 (Lippincott paperback), 0-553-13994-0 (this series), 0-553-20982-5 (this series, later printings), 0-553-23230-4 (this series, even later printings)
Length: 96 pages (Lippincott original), 113 pages (this series)
Number of Endings: 37
Library of Congress Summary (from Lippincott original): By following
the instructions at the bottom of each page, the reader can have several
different adventures in the Old West.
Plot Summary: You wander into the old west town of Deadwood City looking
for a job and find, predictably enough, adventure.
Collected In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box #2
Translations: Catalan, Dutch, Italian
My Thoughts: This western adventure is a fast and entertaining read.
Like The Third Planet from Altair, this book was released by
Lippincott before it became part of this series. I have copies of the
Lippincott hardback and paperback editions in my collection; scans of both
are on display above.
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9. Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: February, 1981
ISBN: 0-553-14357-3 (earlier printings), 0-553-20912-4 (early printings), 0-553-23181-2 (later printings)
Length: 122 pages
Number of Endings: 14
Plot Summary: A rich man call you and asks for help when he feels his life
is in danger... Eventually (as the title gives away), you find yourself
trying to solve a murder case.
Collected In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box #2
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: This is a very well-designed gamebook. It has excellent
(but not absolutely perfect) continuity and consistency,
more-interesting-than-usual characters, and a clear goal (the solution of the
mystery) to work towards.
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12. Inside UFO 54-40
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: February, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-20197-2 (early printings), 0-553-23175-8 (later printings)
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 30
Plot Summary: You are kidnapped by the U-TY masters, alien creatures who
wish to place you in a zoo.
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: This is a fairly interesting science fiction adventure, though
it's certainly not the best of the series. The book also contains the rather
annoying gimmick of making the reader search for the planet Ultima, a
place which is in the book but completely unreachable by regular play. It's
on page 101, in case you care...
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14. The Forbidden Castle
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: August, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-22515-4 (early printings), 0-553-23236-3 (later printings)
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 27
Plot Summary: You return to the Cave of Time and end up in medieval Europe,
where you must solve a riddle and find a mysterious castle.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This sequel to The Cave of Time is quite good. Once
again, a clear quest makes the gameplay more fun, and it's actually something
of a challenge to reach the ideal ending.
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16. Survival at Sea
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: December, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-22768-8
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: Dr. Vivaldi asks you to accompany her on a search for the
Arkasaur, a dinosaur which may have recently been sighted in the ocean.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: This is another excellent work by Edward Packard. It's
challenging and creative, and its use of a map makes things a bit more
interesting. This is also something of a sequel to The Third Planet
from Altair since it uses the character of Dr. Nera Vivaldi.
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18. Underground Kingdom
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Anthony Kramer
First Published: March, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-23292-4
Length: 108 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: Dr. Vivaldi has discovered a bottomless crevasse and
disappeared into it... You are part of an expedition sent to find out
exactly where it leads.
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Turkish
My Thoughts: This sequel to Survival at Sea (again, only a sequel
because of the presence of Dr. Vivaldi) is fairly weak. The book can be
fun, but there are some continuity problems which make it feel as if it
wasn't as well-planned as some of the earlier books in the series. For those
interested in examining the structure of the book, Ace High sent in an Excel spreadsheet showing a map of the book's
sections.
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21. Hyperspace
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Anthony Kramer
First Published: June, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-23324-6
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 15
Plot Summary: Professor Zinka, your new neighbor, is experimenting with
hyperspace... You get involved in the strange results of his experiments.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: This is definitely a weird book. Events that occur are strange
and unrelated, you have the option of reading a gamebook within the gamebook,
and Dr. Vivaldi makes an odd appearance. Good stuff. In case you're
interested, I've received an Excel spreadsheet
showing a map of the book's sections, courtesy of Ace High.
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28. Mountain Survival
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Leslie Morrill (interior)
First Published: January, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-23868-X
Length: 115 pages
Number of Endings: 25
Plot Summary: Your small plane crashes in the Canadian Rockies and
its pilot is too badly hurt to move, so you must search for help in the
dangerous terrain all by yourself.
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Spain), Urdu
My Thoughts: This is an enjoyable adventure. In addition to being
fairly well-written and exciting, the book is aided by the fact that many of
its choices require a bit of thought and actually make sense logically.
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39. Supercomputer
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Frank Bolle
First Published: December, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-24678-X (early printings), 0-553-25818-4 (later printings)
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: You've won a computer programming contest, and the
prize is an extremely advanced computer...
Translations: Catalan, French, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This book certainly covers a lot of territory; you can
attempt to aid the cause of peace by talking to world leaders, you can
try to communicate with dolphins, or you can be terrorized by a madman, among
other things. Dr. Vivaldi even makes an appearance along the way, making
this a sequel of sorts to Underground Kingdom and Hyperspace.
The biggest problem with the book is that, due to the way it deals with the
world of computers, it's extremely dated and ludicrously unrealistic... This
cheesiness has a certain charm to it, though, and fans of eighties nostalgia
should have fun with it.
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45. You Are a Shark
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Ron Wing
First Published: June, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-24963-0
Length: 114 pages
Number of Endings: 14
Plot Summary: Your hike through Nepal leads you into a forbidden
temple. As punishment for your intrusion, you must survive in the forms of
several different animals in order to earn your freedom.
Translation: Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: I first read this book a long time ago, and it has stuck
with me since then. It's definitely a refreshingly original book, and while
it's not always entirely believable, it's quite a satisfying read. When it
comes time to transform, the choices never ask you specifically which animal
you want to be, but instead give vague categories; this makes the book
considerably more interesting than it could have been, since you never know
what you're going to be next...
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50. Return to the Cave of Time
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin
First Published: November, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-25296-8
Length: 115 pages
Number of Endings: 16
Plot Summary: You travel back to the Cave of Time and see what fate
has in store for you...
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: This is actually the third book in the series involving
the Cave of Time (the previous two being The Cave of Time and The
Forbidden Castle), and while it is written by Edward Packard, it has
a bit of metaphysical weirdness which sounds like it's the product of R. A.
Montgomery's mind. The book is interesting in that it is quite
unpredictable -- you never quite know where or when you'll end up. However,
this unpredictability is also the book's downfall. The reader has no real
motivation to revisit the Cave of Time, and the events that occur never
arrange themselves into anything resembling a coherent plot. Still, there
are some interesting ideas here and there. Perhaps the highlight of the book
is the ending on page 78; the text is rather dull, but the illustration that
accompanies it completely changes its tone and adds a wonderful twist. I
can't help wondering if this illustration was "scripted" by the
author or if it was simply added as a joke by the illustrator... And
speaking of the illustrator, this is the first book in which I noticed that
Don Hedin doesn't just draw like Paul Granger; Don Hedin is Paul
Granger! I wonder what convinced him to start using his real name...
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52. Ghost Hunter
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Bill Schmidt (original cover), David Mattingly (reissue cover), Ted Enik (interior)
First Published: January, 1986
ISBN: 0-553-25488-X (early printings), 0-553-26983-6 (later printings)
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 20
Plot Summary: You are the private investigator who solved the
Harlowe Thrombey murder case, but you're growing bored with your profession.
It's time for something new: ghost hunting!
Translations: Catalan, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This direct sequel to Who Killed Harlowe
Thrombey? isn't quite as good as its predecessor in terms of
goal-oriented gameplay, but it's still a slightly better-than-average entry
in the series. The writing is decent, the story is adequate (though
unexceptional), and most paths through the book manage to be quite lengthy
without being slow-moving.
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62. Sugarcane Island
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Ted Enik
First Published: 1976 (original, non-CYOA version), November, 1986 (this revised edition)
ISBN: 0-553-26040-5
Length: 118 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.
Translations: Catalan, German, Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: Having already read and reviewed the earlier edition of
this book, I examined this one with a primary intent of finding out exactly
what was revised. As it turns out, there were enough changes to justify an
entire article on
the subject. Specifics aside, this book really does show that Edward Packard
grew as an author between 1969 (when the book was first written) and 1986
(when the revisions were made). He's ironed out all of the vague points,
made the dangers to the protagonist more immediate and defined the characters
better by adding a fair amount of dialogue. As with the unrevised original,
there's nothing amazing about this book if it's taken out of context, but
as an important piece of gamebook history, it's worth at least a brief look.
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71. Space Vampire
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: David Mattingly (cover), Judith Mitchell (interior)
First Published: August, 1987
ISBN: 0-553-26723-X
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 25
Plot Summary: You are a recent Elite-level graduate of the Space
Academy, and your first mission involves a near-invincible alien vampire!
Translations: Catalan, Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: At least this time around, when the back of the book
says "You're the star of more than 24 endings," it isn't lying.
Of course, I'm not sure why they couldn't just say "You're the star of
exactly 25 endings." I'll never understand marketers. Anyway,
pointless nitpicking aside, this is a pretty good book. It is, of course,
rather silly, but it nonetheless has some atmospheric moments, appropriately
gruesome artwork and interesting choices. The book's biggest weakness is
probably its tendency to awkwardly insert information on vampire lore into
the text, though this is easily ignored. One thing that gives the book a
slightly odd feel is the fact that, more or less no matter what you do,
even if you go off on a totally unrelated mission, you'll end up facing
vampires. While this further damages the book's already near-nonexistent
realism and somewhat diminishes replayability, it nonetheless works pretty
well since it keeps things focused on topic at all times. It's also worth
noting is that the book features an appearance by Dr. Vivaldi, who has been
absent from the series for quite some time. She's described as being in her
fifties here, though I'm not sure how significant that is. Trying to sort
out continuity in this series is an exercise in futility, but it is fun that
certain elements keep resurfacing from time to time.
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80. The Perfect Planet
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: James Warhola (cover), Leslie Morrill (interior)
First Published: June, 1988
ISBN: 0-553-27227-6
Length: 116 pages (plus historical note)
Number of Endings: 20
Plot Summary: You are a solo scout for the Federation of Planets, and
you have been assigned to restore stability on Utopa, a planet normally free
from war and predation but currently in a state of crisis.
My Thoughts: This is an excellent science fiction adventure.
Although its premise is by no means entirely convincing, it nonetheless
manages to build a very well-constructed story around it. Nearly all of the
choices are meaningful and challenging, and the dilemmas posed here are among
the most interesting in the series so far. Barring premature death, each
read-through is lengthy and leads to a satisfying conclusion. Internal
consistency is good, and continuity with earlier adventures is established
through a brief cameo by the ever-present Dr. Vivaldi. This book is
certainly not as perfect as the rather implausible planet that it describes,
but it's still a rather impressive accomplishment.
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1. The Circus
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: November, 1981
ISBN: 0-553-15120-7 (early printings), 0-553-15238-6 (later printings), 0-553-15744-2 (even later printings)
Length: 55 pages
Number of Endings: 12
Plot Summary: You visit your aunt and uncle, both circus people,
and are given the choice to learn to be an acrobat, a clown, or an animal
trainer.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is really just a collection of random events
which lead to abrupt endings. Still, it's not too bad; the visual design
is nice, with text and graphics mixing well, and there is a note at the
end explaining one of the events which occurs in the story.
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3. Sunken Treasure
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: April, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-05018-4 (hardback), 0-553-15150-9 (early paperback printings), 0-553-15208-4 (later paperback printings)
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 8
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is asked to make choices which
will determine the outcome of a search for sunken treasure.
Translations: German, Spanish
My Thoughts: This is the first book in the series that seems to have
a point to it; the search for treasure definitely gives the story direction.
The book is also notable for being set in the 18th century.
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5. Gorga, The Space Monster
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: November, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-05031-1 (hardback), 0-553-15161-4 (early paperback printings), 0-553-15308-0 (later paperback printings)
Length: 54 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Library of Congress Summary: The reader is given choices to make which
determine the outcome of an adventure with a space monster who arrives
in Cape Cod.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This book tells a more coherent story than some of the other
books in the series and the illustrations are often pretty amusing.
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7. Help! You're Shrinking
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Lorna Tomei (interior)
First Published: April, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15195-9
Length: 52 pages
Number of Endings: 11
Plot Summary: You and your dog discover a bottle of shrinking potion,
and predictably bad things occur as a result.
Translations: French, German, Spanish
My Thoughts: This isn't Packard's best work; it has several abrupt
endings, and the variations on the title (like "Help! You're Sinking!") which
periodically show up as parts of the book's text aren't nearly as cute as one
might think. The book isn't helped too much by the artwork, which I found
rather unappealing; the little boy appears to be about thirty years old in
some of the pictures, and the insects just don't look right. On the positive
side, some of the dangerous encounters with conventional animals are at least
mildly interesting, and the character of the conscience-stricken Dr. Kemp has
some amusement value. A hardback edition of this book was released by the
Weekly Reader Book Club, and I'm fortunate enough to own a copy of it.
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9. Dream Trips
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Lorna Tomei (interior)
First Published: June, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15506-7
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 12
Plot Summary: You go to sleep and have dreams. Hmm.
Translations: French, Spanish
My Thoughts: This could have been a much more interesting book, but
sadly it wasn't. It has some weird random stuff, a couple opportunities for
wish fulfillment and little substance. I suppose it's fairly appropriate
for the age group it's aimed at, but I still can't help feeling that Edward
Packard is capable of doing better than this.
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13. Jungle Safari
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Lorna Tomei
First Published: November, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-15226-2
Length: 51 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: You go on safari with your uncle Stanley and his daughter,
your favorite cousin June. During your journey you hope to find a Kawamba,
a rare species of ape not seen in many years.
Translations: French, German
My Thoughts: This book has more in common with the original
Choose Your Own Adventure series than most of the
earlier books in this series do. It has a more interesting story and the
shorter length of the book is dealt with reasonably well.
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23. The Polar Bear Express
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: December, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-15299-8
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 10
Plot Summary: Minotuk, an Inuit friend of yours, invites you to visit
him in the far north.
Translation: Spanish
My Thoughts: Although this book is short and nearly plotless, it's a
bit more interesting than usual for the series thanks to its frequent
references to Inuit culture and the unusual characteristics of life in the
Arctic. As with most of this series, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone far
beyond the target age group, but it's not bad for what it is.
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40. The Great Easter Bunny Adventure
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrator: Vincent Bell
First Published: April, 1987
ISBN: 0-553-15492-3
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 9
Plot Summary: On Easter you follow a talking bunny and somehow travel
through time in the process.
My Thoughts: This is definitely a weird one... Perhaps there's some
sort of message hidden in here... Or maybe it's just a children's
introduction to surrealism.
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46. A Day with the Dinosaurs
Author: Edward Packard
Illustrators: Bill Schmidt (cover), Ron Wing (interior)
First Published: August, 1988
ISBN: 0-553-15612-8
Length: 53 pages
Number of Endings: 7
Plot Summary: You travel to Wyoming to witness a fossil hunt headed by
a paleontologist named Dr. Robert Holmes.
My Thoughts: This is a pretty weak entry in the series, being both
largely plotless and full of errors (from mixing dinosaur time periods to
using the wrong form of the word "its" on page 39). There are
some interesting points, though... First of all, travel to the age of
dinosaurs is accomplished through an encounter with the Cave of Time, an
interesting cross-series reference to the first Choose
Your Own Adventure book. Also, in what is almost certainly a coincidence,
the book's paleontologist shares his name with one of Doctor Who's most
distinguished script writers...
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Sugarcane Island
