Item - Fortress of Assassins

Interestingly (if unsurprisingly), this book includes a brief thank-you to Oliver Johnson, a gamebook author who has worked with Dave Morris on several occasions. As with its predecessors, the book's novella is by far its strongest part, nicely expanding on Morris' interesting interpretation of King John's England and once again using continuity with earlier books to great effect. With its movement from frozen mountains to heated deserts, it's an excellent adventure story. Unfortunately, the gamebook segment is the worst yet. It's about as pointless as the one in the first book, having little or no relation to the novella, and it also manages to feel far too short and generally unsatisfying. The only notable thing about it is that it is the first adventure in the series to make use of a six-sided die, and this is by no means a good thing, since it simply adds new and random ways of dying. It's definitely a shame that the excellent writing and storyline of the novella couldn't somehow have been applied to the interactive section of the book....

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