1. Escape from the Carnival of Horrors
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Cover artist uncredited, no internal illustrations
First Published: July, 1995
ISBN: 0-590-55323-2
Length: 135 pages
Number of Endings: 25
Plot Summary: The carnival has returned to town. Last year it was
pitiful, but this year it's larger, more spectacular, and (of course)
totally evil.
Collected In: Give Yourself Goosebumps Books #1-#4
Translation: German
My Thoughts: R. L. Stine is not the most praiseworthy author in the
world, but he does occasionally manage to create an interesting gamebook by
adding unusual features. In addition to the usual choices, this book
includes a number of special gimmicks that make it more fun, most of them
involving carnival games.
2. Tick Tock, You're Dead
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: November, 1995
ISBN: 0-590-56645-8
Length: 135 pages
Number of Endings: 28
Plot Summary: Your uncooperative younger brother stumbles into a
time travel experiment at a museum and you must bring him back before his
time runs out and he ceases to exist.
Collected In: Give Yourself Goosebumps Books #1-#4
My Thoughts: This is a fairly well-designed book; the various story
threads fit together pretty well and some are creatively reused. There
aren't as many games and non-typical choices as the previous book, but it is
something of a challenge to get through successfully.
3. Trapped in Bat Wing Hall
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: December, 1995
ISBN: 0-590-56646-6
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 27
Plot Summary: After moving to a new town you have difficulty making
friends until you are invited by a boy you can't quite remember to a club
meeting in a haunted house.
Collected In: Give Yourself Goosebumps Books #1-#4
Translations: German, Italian
My Thoughts: This is the most straightforward,
Choose Your Own Adventure-like book so far in the
series as far as gameplay goes. In every other respect, it's fairly typical.
4. The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: February, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-67318-1
Length: 130 pages
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: You and your best friend try to find your mother in
the research lab where she works.
Collected In: Give Yourself Goosebumps Books #1-#4
My Thoughts: This book is considerably weaker than the previous
three. The plot is fairly aimless, the internal consistency is poor, and
there's nothing particularly unusual about the gameplay.
5. Night in Werewolf Woods
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: April, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-67319-X
Length: 133 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: A summer vacation at WoodsWorld turns out to be
rather unpleasant thanks to a multitude of werewolves.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: This is a decidedly strange book; the events in it really
have nothing to do with one another and some of the locations are quite
bizarre. Sadly, this strangeness doesn't prove to be a good thing and the
incoherent text isn't backed up by interesting gameplay. All in all, this
isn't a terribly enjoyable read.
6. Beware of the Purple Peanut Butter
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: June, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-67320-3
Length: 135 pages
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: Eating food in the off-limits basement of your aunt's
house proves to be a bad idea - it causes your size to change dramatically.
My Thoughts: Like the previous book this is strange , but not in a
good way... The plot is ludicrous (which is to be expected from this series,
I suppose) and the novelties in the gameplay (which include some coin
flipping and choices dependent on time of week or age of the reader) are
pointless and uninteresting.
7. Under the Magician's Spell
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: July, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-67321-1
Length: 135 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: Your annoying younger sister tags along when you go to
the mall to meet a friend and ultimately ends up causing trouble in a magic
shop.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: This isn't too bad for the series, but it's a fairly
tedious read. Just about the most innovative thing in the book involves
drawing a card out of a deck, but it serves little purpose and is merely
another variation on the pointless randomization that's in many of these
books.
8. The Curse of the Creeping Coffin
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Nagata (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: August, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-84765-1
Length: 132 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: The graveyard behind your grandmother's house is
presently moving around by itself, a fact which unnerves you greatly...
My Thoughts: This book is surprisingly good for the series; some of
the decisions are aided by actual thought rather than luck and the sarcastic
sense of humor present in many of these books is used much more effectively
than usual.
9. The Knight in Screaming Armor
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Uncredited
First Published: September, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-84766-X
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 21 (plus two "endings" which instruct the reader to continue)
Plot Summary: A suit of armor brought to the U.S. from England has
a curse on it connected to your family.
Translation: Italian
My Thoughts: This book has some fairly good moments, but it also
has some bad ones. While it's a more entertaining read than most books in
the series, many of the choices in it are pointless or change the plot in
seemingly random ways. Additionally, while it's slightly interesting that
a maze is included in the book, it serves no real purpose to the gameplay.
10. Diary of a Mad Mummy
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: October, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-84767-8
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: While examining an Egyptian mummy in an American-built
pyramid-shaped skyscraper you stumble across an ancient diary which appears
to have been written by the corpse... in English!
Translations: German, Italian
My Thoughts: While being for the most part stupid and senseless, this
book has several redeeming features. First of all, while it includes many of
the cliches common to gamebooks involving mummies, it twists them enough to
be slightly unpredictable. Second, it uses the phrase Klaatu Barada
Nikto, something a movie buff like myself can't help but appreciate.
Finally, it has more illustration than usual, including a maze used in a
slightly unconventional (but sadly ineffective) manner. Also worth noting
is that the player has an older sibling in this story, something which
happens fairly infrequently in gamebooks of this sort.
11. Deep in the Jungle of Doom
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: November, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-84768-6
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 25
Plot Summary: You go off the trail on a South American jungle tour
with your friend Zoe and have an adventure.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: This book was a bit more entertaining than most of the
others in the series, but that may just be the result of a personal leaning
towards cheesy adventure stories set in the jungle... In most respects it's
really just average.
12. Welcome to the Wicked Wax Museum
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: December, 1996
ISBN: 0-590-84772-4
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: On the way to a wax museum, you and two of your friends
get in trouble and are forced to stay in the lobby when you reach your
destination. Your friend Jake decides to wander off anyway, and it's all
downhill from there...
My Thoughts: This book seems to cover a bit more territory than some
of the others in the series, which makes the gameplay a bit more fun than
usual. The story is incredibly unoriginal, of course, but it would be quite
a surprise if it weren't. The book also includes a maze which brings the
Be an Interplanetary Spy series to mind but is
pretty much pointless.
13. Scream of the Evil Genie
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: January, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-84773-2
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: You find a genie in a cola can and she offers you
three wishes...
Translations: German, Italian
My Thoughts: The genie scenario is a familiar one in the gamebook
world and this is a fairly unexceptional version of the story. This book
does seem to have a wider variety of choices than many other books in the
series, but that doesn't help it to escape the familiarity of its plot.
14. The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: February, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-84774-0
Length: 135 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: You get hired to clean out an inventors garage, and
what do you do? You go through the door you were specifically instructed
to avoid at all costs!
My Thoughts: This is a very strange book in a series of very strange
books. While its strangeness doesn't really manage to be particularly
clever, it does have its moments and is a fairly enjoyable read. The mirror
world section is particularly interesting. The game design here is also not
too bad, being more sophisticated than usual for the series; sections are
re-used creatively here and there.
Errata: For some reason, the back of my copy of this book (which is
a first edition) lists the next book in the series as Secret Agent
Grandma when it should be Please Don't Feed the Vampire.
15. Please Don't Feed the Vampire
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: March, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-93477-5
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: The "Vampire in a Can" costume you just
bought turns out to be a bit troublesome when you discover (the hard way)
that the fake blood it contains turns whatever consumes it into a vampire!
My Thoughts: Although the gameplay in this book is almost totally
uninteresting, the writing isn't too bad... Some of the humor comes close to
actually being funny (though not too close). Of some note is the fact
that the first choice comes only two pages into the book; this is a bit
quicker than usual. Further into the story, though, there are plenty of long
stretches devoid of choices. On an unrelated note, it's interesting that the
description on the back cover suggests that Fifi the dog is male. Hmm...
16. Secret Agent Grandma
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: April, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-84775-9
Length: 131 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: You have to meet your grandmother at the train station.
This being a gamebook, that doesn't prove to be a simple or safe task.
My Thoughts: This is a pretty lousy book; its plot is derivative
(which is no surprise for this series), its internal consistency is just
about nonexistent, and it's full of annoyingly weak attempts at suspense.
17. Little Comic Shop of Horrors
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: May, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-93483-X
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 30
Plot Summary: A shortcut home from school leads you to a comic shop.
Unfortunately, wandering into the store leads to you getting trapped in an
unusual place...
My Thoughts: This isn't one of the absolute best books in this series,
but it's on the higher end of the scale. The story's not too bad and the
gameplay is made more interesting by some choices which require you to test
your balance and reflexes.
18. Attack of the Beastly Baby-Sitter
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Nagata (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: June, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-93485-6
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 23 (plus two "false" endings
Plot Summary: You're annoyed when you discover that you're going to
have a babysitter and horrified when you discover that your babysitter is an
evil imposter...
My Thoughts: This isn't the most well-written book, but it does have a
much higher number of mini-games and puzzles than most books in this series,
so fans of gamebook novelties should find it somewhat entertaining...
There's a maze, a follow-the-ropes puzzle, a "spinner" like the
one used in the first book of this series and various other challenges of
luck and skill. The book's continuity is also a bit better than usual...
19. Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: July, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-93489-9
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: Your trip to a summer sports camp turns out to be
considerably less pleasant than you expected...
My Thoughts: Apart from a choice which asks you to point at a random
spot on a map of the United States in order to make a decision, there's
nothing new in this book, though it's not as bad as some of the other books
in the series.
20. Toy Terror: Batteries Included
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: August, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-93492-9
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: You've won a contest and now you have a choice: do
you want to take a tour of a toy factory, or would you rather get your very
own Annihilator 3000 toy robot?
My Thoughts: This is a pretty dull entry in the series. There are no
games or puzzles to supplement the text and the choices are for the most part
uninteresting. Certain elements of the plot are slightly reminiscent of some
classic Doctor Who episodes, but I suspect it's just a coincidence...
21. The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Nagata (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: September, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-93500-3
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: Your summer vacation at Tiki Island turns out to be
rather unpleasant thanks to a rumored curse...
My Thoughts: This is a fairly enjoyable entry in the series; the
"quest of the Tiki Eye" plot strand is particularly fun to play
through. A few of the choices in the book are rather frustrating, though;
there are times when the option that seems to make the most sense just isn't
possible. The book also includes a maze which serves as a trap for those who
would cheat...
22. Return to the Carnival of Horrors
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Nagata (cover)
First Published: October, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-21062-9
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: Just when you thought you were safely away from the
Carnival of Horrors, you find yourself trapped in it once more!
My Thoughts: As the title suggests, this is a sequel to the first
book in the series, and it's a worthy successor. While it's almost exactly
the same as its predecessor in terms of plot and format, it's worth reading
for its numerous entertaining puzzles and games-within-the-game. They're not
particularly challenging, but they're the sort of thing I always enjoyed when
I read these books as a kid -- the hand-eye coordination game is a particular
highlight. The book also benefits from an intelligent design -- it's not
entirely linear, and in at least one place it refers back to a particular
plot elements to keep track of what the reader has and hasn't done already.
My only real complaint (a big one, I fear) applies to the rest of the series
as much as to this book, and it relates to the blandness of the writing. The
characters are pure stereotypes, and the humor doesn't go far enough into
absurdity to actually be funny most of the time. If the book had less of a
"paint-by-numbers" feel, I might have gone so far as to say it was
good. Oh well. I suppose it's also worth mentioning that this is the final
entry in the series to feature a nifty prism cover.
23. Zapped in Space
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Nagata (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: November, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-39774-5
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: You pay a visit to Madame Zapp's Virtual Reality
Arcade, where you get to participate in one of two different VR games:
"Abominable Snow Woman" or "Adrift off Vega."
My Thoughts: Being a Goosebumps book, this is no great piece of
English literature, and, like many other books in the series, its internal
consistency is more or less non-existent; still, it's an above-average kids'
gamebook. The virtual reality theme is a good excuse to use diverse settings
in the story, and both plot strands are satisfyingly goal-oriented. Along
the way to completing each mission, the reader gets to face a variety of
puzzles, ranging from choosing which item to grab to solving word searches
and math problems. There's even a trivia question referring back to an
earlier volume in the series (Trapped in Bat Wing Hall). All of these
challenges are quite simple, but they give the book a lot of flavor. It's
not quite at the level of Be an Interplanetary Spy
as far as puzzles go, but it's up there with the more interesting
Twistaplot books. Also worth noting is the fact
that the cover art is printed backwards -- just look for the artist's
signature and you'll see what I mean!
24. Lost in Stinkeye Swamp
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Nagata (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: December, 1997
ISBN: 0-590-39775-3
Length: 134 pages
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: You've just moved into a new house, which happens to
be directly adjacent to a swamp rumored to contain treasure... and ghosts.
My Thoughts: Like many books in the series, this one contains
several storylines, all using the same basic plot elements in totally
different ways; in other words, it lacks internal consistency. This didn't
bother me too much here, though, as each storyline provides a relatively
engaging quest, and puzzles and riddles are used liberally to keep things
enjoyable. It's just about as tacky and unoriginal as the rest of these
books, but its swampy setting and slightly eccentric characters strike enough
pleasant chords to make for fun, if intellectually undemanding, reading.
25. Shop Till You Drop...Dead!
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Craig White (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: January, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-39776-1
Length: 133 pages
Number of Endings: 27
Plot Summary: Your friend Reggie makes a bet that you and another
friend named Julie can't survive the hour from midnight to one A.M. in his
father's store, which he claims is cursed. You foolishly accept.
My Thoughts: This is the first book in the series to include a plot
line that's largely non-linear and that uses inventory management to prevent
the final battle from being won too quickly. Although not a total triumph
(there's a continuity error or two that crop up if you do things in the wrong
order), it's a decent gamebook, featuring some genuinely interesting
gameplay. It sort of reminds me of the Megaman video games in that
you have to conquer certain areas first in order to acquire special items
which make victory attainable in later locations. The adventure is further
enhanced by the fact that an effort has been made to make the little puzzles
more interesting and challenging than usual -- the word search puzzle is
somewhat unconventional, and the maze is both tricky and restricted by a time
limit! The paths that don't lead to the non-linear part of the book aren't
nearly as interesting, but they're certainly no worse than average for the
series. This is a book worth reading, and if you enjoy it, be sure to also
grab a copy of book 30, which does the same thing, only with even more
success.
26. Alone in Snakebite Canyon
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Craig White (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: March, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-39997-7
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 24
Plot Summary: While camping in the desert you find a shop and can
buy one of two valuable items: a pair of magic snake eyes that will allow
you to transform into different animals or a map to an old (and deadly) gold
mine.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: I quite enjoyed this book... The animal transformation
part of the book offers a lot of entertaining possibilities and the gold mine
features a fun little riddle that actually requires a few moments of thought
to solve. This is definitely one of the better books in this series.
27. Checkout Time at the Dead-End Hotel
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Craig White (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: April, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-39998-5
Length: 140 pages
Number of Endings: 21
Plot Summary: You and your friends get trapped in a hotel inhabited
by ghosts and must find the only other human in the place in order to get
out alive.
My Thoughts: This is definitely an above-average entry in the series.
While the story is nothing special, the gameplay is quite challenging,
requiring careful exploration and good luck to get through successfully. As
a bonus, a solution to the first Give Yourself
Goosebumps Special Edition adventure is included in the back of this
book.
28. Night of a Thousand Claws
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Craig White (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: June, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-40034-7
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 26
Plot Summary: Your family goes on vacation to Cat Cay, an isolated
island with a decidedly unconventional feline population.
Translation: German
My Thoughts: After a few exceptional books in a row, the series has
returned to average here. Only a few things seem notable about this volume.
First of all, its atmosphere is a little closer to being genuinely creepy
than is usual for the series... but it's still not nearly close enough.
Perhaps more interesting is the fact that the adventure isn't as clearly
partitioned into multiple unrelated stories as most of the other books in the
series are. Usually, the first choice determines which storyline you
encounter in a Give Yourself Goosebumps book. Here, though, there's
no such clear partition between the book's storylines. However, just because
the book isn't clearly partitioned, don't think that it's a united whole --
it has as much inconsistency as any volume in the series. Finally, there are
a few gameplay gimmicks, but they're nothing special -- just some pointless
randomization and a "how many words can you find in this phrase?"
puzzle. This isn't a bad book, but it's also not really a special one. I am
indifferent to it.
29. Invaders from the Big Screen
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Uncredited
First Published: July, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-40289-7
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 28
Plot Summary: You have the choice of seeing three different films:
a King Kong rip-off, an espionage thriller or (of course) a horror
flick. Whichever you choose, it proves rather more realistic than you had
anticipated...
My Thoughts: This is an average entry in the series. While its
movie-based setting offers a certain amount of variety in terms of storylines
(much like the second Which Way book), it doesn't
break any new ground and remains uninspired and predictable throughout. The
title also isn't very accurate; the reader usually ends up going into the
screen rather than battling things coming out of it. In any case, apart from
a somewhat interesting puzzle involving musical notes, this book has nothing
too special to offer. Unless you're really devoted to reading all of these
books, you won't miss much by skipping this one.
30. You're Plant Food
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Craig White (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: September, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-41974-9
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 24
Plot Summary: Your class trip to the E. Ville Creeper Botanical
Gardens turns out to be a bit more interesting than expected...
My Thoughts: This is quite an interesting little book. Like most of
the volumes in the series, it contains two more or less unrelated adventures,
and it has lots of inconsistencies of storyline. Nonetheless, its game
design is remarkably sophisticated for such a simple book. As in book 25,
one of the storylines included here is extremely non-linear and requires
the player to figure out the best order for the actions to be carried out in.
Inventory management is also essential in order for the book's mission to be
successfully completed. The other storyline is more straightforward, but it
still has the twist that if you fail to perform a particular action early on,
you can't succeed at the end. This is definitely about as close to a
"real" gamebook that you're going to get in this series, and it's
a fairly entertaining read.
31. The Werewolf of Twisted Tree Lodge
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Craig White (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: November, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-46306-3
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 25
Plot Summary: A bit of plagiarism has won you a spot at the Twisted
Tree Lodge horror convention; alas, all is not as it seems....
My Thoughts: After the previous book's interesting game design, this
one plunges back into the realm of totally random senselessness. There's
absolutely no coherence whatsoever to the book; characters and circumstances
change wildly depending on your choices, so there's no strategy involved, and
the author throws around so many different styles and concepts that it's
impossible to tell what's even supposed to be going on. There are a couple
of ideas that might have been interesting if they had been developed
consistently throughout the book, but since everything feels so
half-finished, the whole thing is really just a waste of time.
32. It's Only a Nightmare!
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrator: Craig White (cover), no internal illustrations
First Published: December, 1998
ISBN: 0-590-76785-2
Length: 137 pages
Number of Endings: 40
Plot Summary: You're trying to sleep while visiting an inn with your
parents; this is a little difficult since your bed's headboard is covered in
creepy gargoyles and you have recurring nightmares about a strange being who
calls himself the Sleep Master.
My Thoughts: I think that I probably would have enjoyed this book had
I read it when I was younger; since it's about dreaming, it covers a broad
variety of scenarios, many of them not even attempting to be horrific in any
way. It's fast-paced and surreal, and it just feels a little different from
the average book in this series. It lacks substance and direction, though,
and being different doesn't really save it from being mediocre. It's a
change of pace, but it's not an especially worthwhile one, nor does it come
close to living up to its potential -- the Sleep Master could have been much
creepier, and most of the dream scenarios lack originality and miss
opportunities for both scares and laughs.
33. It Came from the Internet
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Craig White (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: February, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-51665-5
Length: 135 pages
Number of Endings: 22
Plot Summary: You've installed some new web crawling software, and
now your computer has a virus... a rather unusual one, at that.
My Thoughts: With my computer science background, few things annoy me
more than ludicrously stupid portrayals of computer technology in popular
culture. For this reason, I braced myself to really hate this book. Rather
to my surprise, it didn't bother me too much. Obviously, there's not a great
degree of realism on display here, what with computer viruses that can pop
out of the monitor and bite people, but enough sense of reality underlies the
fantasy that I could suspend my disbelief and accept it without cringing.
Also good is the fact that the book largely focuses on a single plotline.
There are some stupid deaths and pointless asides, but after the last two
books of disjointed random wandering, it was nice to see some degree of
consistency again. Add a gratuitous maze to keep things interesting and you
have an unexceptional but entirely readable adventure which explores some
technological themes that are too new to have been explored during the height
of gamebooks in the eighties.
34. Elevator to Nowhere
Author: R. L. Stine
Illustrators: Craig White (cover), internal illustrator uncredited
First Published: March, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-51670-1
Length: 136 pages
Number of Endings: 23
Plot Summary: You visit your science fair partner's uncle, an
inventor, and get mixed up in adventures involving an elevator that leads to
other dimensions.
My Thoughts: There sure are a lot of strange scientist uncles in
gamebook-land; the first few pages of this book felt awfully familiar to me.
Indeed, there are a lot of familiar plot devices on display here, but I found
the book to be a lot more fun than I expected. There's a clear mission to
accomplish, a variety of places to explore, multiple paths to victory, and a
sense of continuity nearly unprecedented in this series -- I was actually
able to use something I learned from my first play-through to avoid getting
killed during a later adventure. The book is also fairly well-written,
having a certain sense of fun while still taking itself relatively seriously
and, for better or worse, being surprisingly violent. This obviously isn't a
classic, but it's another unexpectedly respectable entry in a series that I
never thought I'd hold any respect for whatsoever.
35. Hocus-Pocus Horror
36. Ship of Ghouls
37. Escape from Horror House
Translation: German
38. Into the Twister of Terror
39. Scary Birthday to You!
40. Zombie School
41. Danger Time
42. All-Day Nightmare
Translation: German
