Item - Treasure Diver

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.

More reviews by Demian

Too many bad ends, but still high in fun. Not his best, but still fun.
Rating: 5/10

More reviews by Good

Julius Goodman's third and final book in classic Choose Your Own Adventure, Treasure Diver seems written with personal knowledge of diving, and that creates an immersive, chilling experience. After you and Beech, your mentor, discovered valuable silver coins off the Florida Keys, you purchased a boat you named the Ocho Reales to look for sunken treasure. Now you, Beech, a diver named Macaulay, and your friend Kate are in St. John Bay hunting for gold and silver that sank with a Spanish ship in 1698. You dive deep, but while underwater you spot a ship pulling alongside the Ocho Reales. Should you take time to surface and be sure no trouble's afoot, or trust Beech to handle it and resume your treasure run?

Exploring coral formations, you find an artillery cannon from the Spanish ship that sank. Attempt to raise the cannon right away, and when you arrive on deck of your boat, the captain of a fishing vessel is there demanding you exit the bay. Return later and the fishermen are gone, but should you post a lookout while the rest of you dive to evaluate the cannon? You and Kate stay aboard while Beech and Macaulay dive, but Beech's foot gets wedged beneath the cannon a hundred feet underwater. Keep your head and you might be able to save Beech and claim the treasure. If you pressed your luck at first and didn't immediately try to raise the cannon, Kate gets trapped in a scary, deep ocean current. Follow her in and you are yanked into a crevasse more than two hundred feet down. Nitrogen narcosis poisoning is imminent and your air tank is nearly empty; should you go deeper after Kate, or give up and ascend to the Ocho Reales? Your life and Kate's teeter in the balance. You’ll never be the same if she perishes on your quest for sunken riches.

Had you gone to the surface as soon as you saw the ship edging against yours, the lead fisherman—Captain Rounder—warns that this is the territory of Captain Jack, a modern pirate. Captain Rounder suggests conducting your dive at a reef due south; if you ignore him and stay, your team winches the cannon to the surface, but an approaching boat has you worried. You suspect it's Captain Jack, but you can't speed away with the cannon suspended midair. Drop it so you can race away, and the boat pursues. You're near a reef maze, but is the Ocho Reales nimble enough to navigate it? Perhaps you took Captain Rounder's advice and set course for the reef he mentioned, where you and Kate stumble across a cave. Return to the Ocho Reales and you have the option to employ heavy-duty digging equipment. It's a hassle, but might net you the fortune you've sought. Enter the cave immediately and you see a high-tech structure. Sneak inside and you may meet a nasty fate at the hands of someone who needs to be sure this place remains secret. Exit quickly enough to avoid that and you might have to outrun armed pursuers. There are many terrifying ways to die in the ocean.

Treasure Diver is Julius Goodman's best gamebook. He was either a diver himself or did all the homework to make the story feel authentic, and doesn't shy from some of the most disconcerting death endings in Choose Your Own Adventure. They are the most impactful parts of Treasure Diver, though Paul Granger's gritty illustrations do a lot of heavy lifting too. I don't rank this book on Choose Your Own Adventure's elite tier with The Cave of Time, Deadwood City, The Forbidden Castle, or Vampire Express, but it's on even footing with Danger in the Desert, Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, and Underground Kingdom. This is an adventure worth going back to.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74

Another great book by Julius Goodman, author of The Horror of High Ridge. I didn't know much about scuba diving, but the introduction of the story gave me enough background and tips that I was able to make good choices during the story. Most of the choices are pretty logical - do something foolish and get a bad ending, err on the safe side and get a good ending (or at least stay alive). The writing style is engaging, and even though we don't have much time to get to know the characters, I found myself liking the ragtag team of four divers (including "myself") so much that when Kate dies in one of the bad endings, I felt really bad for her. The bad ending where your character gets nitrogen sickness or "the rapture of the deep" and giggles while removing his mouthpiece at 280 feet below... it was hauntingly effective.

This one is definitely a must read and a great addition to your collection.

More reviews by yunakitty