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.
2. Journey Under the Sea
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (interior and original cover), Catherine Huerta (reissue cover)
First Published: 1979 (earlier edition published in 1977)
ISBN: 0-553-14003-5 (early printings), 0-553-20979-5 (later printings), 0-553-23229-0 (even later printings), 0-553-27393-0 (much later printings)
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 42
Plot Summary: You are an undersea explorer in search of Atlantis.
Translations: Catalan, Dutch, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Urdu
My Thoughts: Although the writing is a little weak, this is a good gamebook.
The mission to find Atlantis gives the reader a goal and sense of purpose,
which generally makes these things a lot more fun. This book was first
published as part of the Adventures of You series.
3. By Balloon to the Sahara
Reissue Title: Danger in the Desert
Author: D. Terman
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (interior and original cover), Romas Kukalis (reissue cover)
First Published: July, 1979
ISBN: 0-553-12791-8 (early printings), 0-553-14005-1 (later printings), 0-553-20949-3 (even later printings), 0-553-23183-9 (much later printings)
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 40
Plot Summary: You travel from France to Africa in a balloon, accompanied
by your friends Peter and Sarah and a dog named Harry.
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Urdu
My Thoughts: This is an average entry in the series with no terribly notable
features apart from its use of companion characters. I have a feeling that
the author's name is a pseudonym, but if it is, I have no idea what the
author's real name is.
4. Space and Beyond
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (interior and original cover), David Mattingly (reissue cover)
First Published: January, 1980
ISBN: 0-553-14000-0 (early printings), 0-553-20891-8 (later printings), 0-553-23180-4 (even later printings), 0-553-27453-8 (much later printings)
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 44 (listed as 40 on some early editions)
Plot Summary: You are born on a spaceship to parents from two different
planets and must choose one of two possible homeworlds. Various adventures
occur on the way to (or on) the homeworld you decide to visit.
Translations: Catalan, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Urdu
My Thoughts: This is a very strange book. It contains a lot of bizarre
abstraction and pseudo-philosophical gibberish. It's definitely not one of
the stronger books in the series.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
10. The Lost Jewels of Nabooti
Reissue Title: The Lost Jewels
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: March, 1981
ISBN: 0-553-14358-1 (early printings), 0-553-23231-2 (later printings), 0-553-25912-1 (even later printings)
Length: 121 pages
Number of Endings: 36
Plot Summary: Your cousins Peter and Lucy ask for your help in finding
the magical jewels of Nabooti.
Collected In: Choose Your Own Adventure Box #2
Translations: Catalan, Dutch, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: Sadly, this is a rather weak entry in the series. The writing
is pretty awful and the story's not really too interesting (though it had the
potential to be a lot better).
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...
13. The Abominable Snowman
Author: R. A. Montgomery
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: May, 1982
ISBN: 0-553-20529-3
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 28
Plot Summary: You are a mountain climber. With your friend Carlos you
travel to Nepal in search of the Yeti.
Translations: Catalan, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This is one of R. A. Montgomery's better books. While it has
some of the weird gibberish he likes to write in it, it's still a pretty good
story and an entertaining read.
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.
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.
23. The Lost Tribe
Author: Louise Munro Foley
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: August, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-23366-1
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 28
Plot Summary: You travel to New Zealand with your uncle Charlie in search
of the Lost Tribe of Fiordland.
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This is yet another adequate but unexceptional entry in the
series.
27. The Horror of High Ridge
Author: Julius Goodman
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: December, 1983
ISBN: 0-553-23867-1
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 27
Plot Summary: While on vacation with your friends Ricardo and Lisa, you
encounter ghosts in a town with a dark past.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This is a fairly effective horror gamebook. It's successfully
atmospheric and has some interesting plot threads. It's also something of a
sequel to House of Danger since it has Ricardo and Lisa in it.
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.
32. Treasure Diver
Author: Julius Goodman
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: May, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-24050-1 (early printings), 0-553-25764-1 (later printings)
Length: 114 pages (plus background information)
Number of Endings: 19
Plot Summary: With the help of some friends, you search for
centuries-old sunken treasure in waters supposedly inhabited by modern-day
pirates.
Translations: Catalan, Danish, Portuguese, Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This is a good entry in the series. In addition to a
fairly well-thought-out and consistent (if improbable) plot, the gameplay
is satisfying; it may take a number of attempts, but you can find lots of
treasure if you try hard enough.
33. The Dragons' Den
Author: Richard Brightfield
Illustrators: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger) (cover), Paul Abrams (interior)
First Published: June, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-24249-0
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: You are a wandering adventurer in search of treasure in
a time of wizards and dragons.
Translations: Bulgarian, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This is about as generic a fantasy as you can find;
really the only things that make this book stand out at all are a few mildly
humorous anachronisms. Other series have done this sort of thing a lot more
interestingly. Speaking of other series, it's worth noting that Richard
Brightfield also wrote some books in the Your AMAZING
Adventures series featuring a dragon master similar to the one in this
book.
34. The Mystery of the Highland Crest
Author: Louise Munro Foley
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: July, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-24344-6
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 19
Plot Summary: You are summoned by your aunt to Scotland, where you
must help resolve a family crisis.
Translations: Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: This book has great atmosphere and is fairly
well-written, but it doesn't quite work. The continuity is a little bit
off, many of the choices are too obvious, and some endings come far too
abruptly. I enjoyed reading the book, but its gameplay doesn't quite live
up to its premise.
36. The Secret Treasure of Tibet
Author: Richard Brightfield
Illustrator: Don Hedin (credited as Paul Granger)
First Published: September, 1984
ISBN: 0-553-24522-8
Length: 117 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: You've just finished studying the art of private
detection, and your first case is to prove that levitation is possible.
Translations: Bulgarian, Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book; its plot twists unexpectedly but
not unbelievably, and the story is well-defined and fairly consistent. There's
at least one continuity problem (it's possible to report a kidnapping that
you can't possibly know about), but since everything else works pretty well,
the error is forgiveable.
42. The Mystery of Echo Lodge
Author: Louise Munro Foley
Illustrator: Don Hedin
First Published: March, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-24720-4
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: You get to spend winter vacation helping your Aunt
Sadie with her ski lodge. Of course, all is not well there...
Translations: Catalan, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: I was hoping that this would be another mystery along
the lines of Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, but alas it wasn't.
Instead it's a blend of mysticism and crime that I failed to find terribly
interesting. The book has a few pleasantly creepy moments, but it's missing
the sense of discovery that makes a good mystery (or most kinds of adventure,
for that matter) engaging.
43. Grand Canyon Odyssey
Author: Jay Leibold
Illustrator: Don Hedin
First Published: April, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-24822-7
Length: 115 pages
Number of Endings: 35
Plot Summary: You've been hired by a rancher to find some of his
horses which have disappeared into the Grand Canyon under mysterious
circumstances.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This book is rather reminiscent of R. A. Montgomery's
less coherent works in the way it periodically wanders off onto weird
metaphysical tangents. In other respects, it's similar to some of Edward
Packard's writing, in that it features time travel that takes place when you
simply move into certain areas. Ultimately, I think the author would have
done better to have stuck with his own style; this conglomeration of ideas
used by the series' standbys never really holds together well on its own,
despite the fact that it has a well-defined objective (find the horses) which
could have given it a clearer focus.
44. The Mystery of Ura Senke
Author: Shannon Gilligan
Illustrators: Don Hedin (cover), Paul Abrams (interior)
First Published: May, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-24892-8
Length: 116 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: While in Japan, you get involved in a search for a
stolen tea bowl which also happens to be a Japanese national treasure.
Translations: Catalan, Italian, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain)
My Thoughts: This is an excellent mystery gamebook! The story is
multifaceted enough that the book is highly replayable without becoming
inconsistent. There are a lot of different paths through the book, but
rather than contradicting each other, they instead each reveal a different
part of the overall storyline. The book's setting is also used well, and
interesting bits of information on Japanese culture are revealed throughout.
46. The Deadly Shadow
Author: Richard Brightfield
Illustrator: Don Hedin
First Published: July, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-24991-6
Length: 118 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: As an agent for the Special Security Agency, you must
track down a man named Dimitrius, who has become dangerous and powerful as
the result of Russian experiments.
Translations: Catalan, Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Spain), Turkish
My Thoughts: Like most espionage stories involving the Russians, this
book has become rather dated. This, combined with my general disinterest in
the genre and the fairly unexciting writing style of the book, prevented me
from enjoying this adventure too much. Still, it has some positive points.
During the story, you can travel to a variety of famous locations all over
the world, and most of these trips are quite eventful. In most books, I'd
complain that this shows a poor sense of continuity (after all, the bad guys
can't be everywhere at once), but in this book, a convenient plot device
makes all of the outcomes plausible without breaking continuity.
Additionally, the book does feature some decent action sequences, and on at
least one occasion, it does a good job of making the adventure longer by
allowing multiple paths to lead to the same point in the story. In all, an
average book; not brilliant, but not bad either.
48. Spy for George Washington
Author: Jay Leibold
Illustrator: Don Hedin
First Published: September, 1985
ISBN: 0-553-25134-1
Length: 115 pages (plus map and historical notes)
Number of Endings: 31
Plot Summary: You decide to join the American Revolution, and you are
given a mission to deliver an important message to George Washington.
Translation: Italian
My Thoughts: Like the author's earlier work, Sabotage, this is
a purely historical adventure. Fortunately, it's a considerable improvement
over that earlier book. The writing style is much more engaging, and while
some endings are a bit abrupt, they're not too frustrating. The biggest
problem with the book is its gameplay -- it's simply far too easy to
successfully get the letter to Washington, and most of the paths through the
book are too brief. Still, if you don't mind winning again and again, you
can discover some interesting historical details by playing through the book
repeatedly. The notes in the back of the book which explain the origins of
the characters and situations used in the story are a welcome addition, and
it's a shame that such notes aren't more common in historically-based
gamebooks; I'd certainly like to know what was fact and what was fiction in
some of the Time Machine books.
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...
