The Warlock of Firetop Mountain did start it all off but it did suffer a bit to much of 'Door? or Path?' With the door almost always having a reward of some kind and no real negative to not taking the door. I totally agree that the maze is complete padding. It comes out of nowhere and is there for the sake of being there. I actually made my own rules around it in repeat readings that would have two branching paths with one going to the Minotaur and the other leading to the cave with the dragon, skipping the maze entirely. It makes the game FAR better the play. Still a top 10 but just because it is the first, doesn't mean it is the best.
I will agree with the House of Hell about the game killing you no matter what. There is a part where you go into a room with a vampire. From the moment you choose to stay in that room and not immediately leave, none of you choices matter because YOU WILL DIE. You can keep going for like 10 to 15 more sections, many of which have even more choices and paths to take, but eventually no matter how well you do and how much trouble you avoid or path you take after entering that room, you just end up stuck in a room with nothing but a bell to press that just ends the run (this is the furthest possible area you can reach from all the branching paths from the vampire room onward. I originally thought maybe there is a really obscure item I need to get through it but no, there is absolutely no way to win from the moment you enter the vampire room. I get what they were going for there though. They wanted to make it really tough and give the illusion that there are other ways so the player would replay it again and again, trying the different options so that maybe, JUST MAYBE they can get through that section the next time. DESPITE this however, it is actually my number 1 Fighting Fantasy book. I love the setting and the atmosphere and I like difficult games. It makes me think of Resident Evil if it was a choose you own adventure book with more supernatural elements to it. In fact, I can imagine a Resident Evil series covering the first 3 Resident Evil titles would work really well, especially Resident Evil 3, with the choices you have to make when confronting the Nemesis.
@@musicalneptunian That probably explains why the room you get stuck in after beating those hounds is where that path ends. They just dumped it in as is. The mood from the vampire room onward does change A LOT which would further support it.
I haven't played City of Thieves for years but it was definitely one of my favourites. Loved Port Blacksand. I remember you revisit it in another adventure book but can't remember which one.
@@chrisdwi7821 I got the Port of Peril when it came out a few years back. Think it mentions a couple of the settings used in other books like the Forest of Doom? Hadn't remembered until you commented. There was another book to do with ships that was set briefly in Port Blacksand.. I think....
@@JohnSmith-fo1mp Don't suppose it's The Gates of Death? I'm yet to read through the new Scholastic releases although I'll be making videos on them all eventually! I had a cheeky look at Assassins of Allansia, too, and Port Blacksand comes up there too! It's going to be nice revisiting the place!
The Steve Jackson and Stephen Hand written FF books are the best for me. Hand's gothic horror vibes are just awesome i.e moonrunner/ legend of the shadow warriors. Livingstone's books are ok, bit samey...shopping list of things to get and imbalanced battles. Most of Jonathan Green's stuff is also great.
I'll have to look into those! Can agree that Livingstone uses the same things throughout his works though! You sort of know what you're getting yourself in to! Can't go wrong with a bit of Green, though. His works never disappoint
Hand is a legend. 👍 So much atmosphere in his work. Ian is great at setting the scene. All the great characters come from his books. Nicodemus, Zanbar Bone, Yastromo. I think of his work like lord of the rings. Building a world you want to exist in. It's quite amazing he does so much with the skill, stamina, luck mechanic. He really owns it. Allot of the other authors find it basic an can't resist adding to it. Steven likes to tear up the formula and give you something new to think about. An really mess with yer mind with puzzles.
Can't really complain about that ranking of yours, @Cris. :) Interestingly you are drawn to the Livingstone Camp (by his doubtless masterpieces of DD & CoT), while listing lots of *annoying* (because often unfairly maze-like) Jackson titles. Btw., the Maze Part (and the whole Across-the-River-Part) of TWoFM was also written by Jackson, while the classical Greenskin/Monster barracks are Livingstone's. BUT you also like the more epic, slowly paced 'landscape crawlers' of both Jackson (S1:TSH) and Livingstone (CotS), which others often describe as 'dragging', if not 'boring'. 'Island of the Lizard King' is loved/hated for the same reason by others ... . :) Has anybody actually SOLVED the 'Sorcery!'-series of Jackson? :D
I love exploring! It's what draws me to a lot of games so I guess it comes through in the list aha The Sorcery series is amazing! The Crown of Kings had some fantastic twists and turns!
Forest of Doom and Crypt of the Sorcerer were really good. Warlock of Firetop Mountain is a simple classic. Caverns of the Snow Witch ruled. Deathtrap Dungeon is considered my many to be the best of them all and it's in my top 3 there is a reason why a PC game version was made for it. Good list so I'll leave my fav book of the entire series and it is Vault of the Vampire. Best written, best map and villain.
It's kind of annoying the first few always seem to get most exposure in these lists, probably because they have been reprinted the most, available on the app, etc. The later ones are just overlooked, never been reprinted, and now getting difficult to get hold of. I wonder if its because they have different authors and IL and SJ want to push their own work🤔.
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain did start it all off but it did suffer a bit to much of 'Door? or Path?' With the door almost always having a reward of some kind and no real negative to not taking the door. I totally agree that the maze is complete padding. It comes out of nowhere and is there for the sake of being there. I actually made my own rules around it in repeat readings that would have two branching paths with one going to the Minotaur and the other leading to the cave with the dragon, skipping the maze entirely. It makes the game FAR better the play. Still a top 10 but just because it is the first, doesn't mean it is the best.
They learned a lot from that. Think of it as a gate way drug 😂 lol
I loved the fighting fantasy books.
I love the Creature of Havoc - unique perspective. For me, the no. 1 is always the House of Hell.
Those two are fantastic books, can't lie! Can still remember the adverts for Creature of Havoc to this day!
I will agree with the House of Hell about the game killing you no matter what. There is a part where you go into a room with a vampire. From the moment you choose to stay in that room and not immediately leave, none of you choices matter because YOU WILL DIE. You can keep going for like 10 to 15 more sections, many of which have even more choices and paths to take, but eventually no matter how well you do and how much trouble you avoid or path you take after entering that room, you just end up stuck in a room with nothing but a bell to press that just ends the run (this is the furthest possible area you can reach from all the branching paths from the vampire room onward. I originally thought maybe there is a really obscure item I need to get through it but no, there is absolutely no way to win from the moment you enter the vampire room. I get what they were going for there though. They wanted to make it really tough and give the illusion that there are other ways so the player would replay it again and again, trying the different options so that maybe, JUST MAYBE they can get through that section the next time.
DESPITE this however, it is actually my number 1 Fighting Fantasy book. I love the setting and the atmosphere and I like difficult games. It makes me think of Resident Evil if it was a choose you own adventure book with more supernatural elements to it. In fact, I can imagine a Resident Evil series covering the first 3 Resident Evil titles would work really well, especially Resident Evil 3, with the choices you have to make when confronting the Nemesis.
An interesting pt: House of Hell was first released as a magazine mini quest that ended at the choice where you fight the hounds.
@@musicalneptunian That probably explains why the room you get stuck in after beating those hounds is where that path ends. They just dumped it in as is. The mood from the vampire room onward does change A LOT which would further support it.
I haven't played City of Thieves for years but it was definitely one of my favourites. Loved Port Blacksand. I remember you revisit it in another adventure book but can't remember which one.
The Port of Peril mentions Port Blacksand on the back! I still haven't read through Port of Peril yet though
@@chrisdwi7821 I got the Port of Peril when it came out a few years back. Think it mentions a couple of the settings used in other books like the Forest of Doom? Hadn't remembered until you commented. There was another book to do with ships that was set briefly in Port Blacksand.. I think....
@@JohnSmith-fo1mp Don't suppose it's The Gates of Death? I'm yet to read through the new Scholastic releases although I'll be making videos on them all eventually! I had a cheeky look at Assassins of Allansia, too, and Port Blacksand comes up there too! It's going to be nice revisiting the place!
Midnight Rogue is the other one
Midnight Thief
I have your number 1 and 2 choice l have to go back and play them again right now playing forest of doom thanks for the review.
They're cracking books! Can't go wrong with any of the Fighting Fantasy books though!
The Steve Jackson and Stephen Hand written FF books are the best for me. Hand's gothic horror vibes are just awesome i.e moonrunner/ legend of the shadow warriors. Livingstone's books are ok, bit samey...shopping list of things to get and imbalanced battles. Most of Jonathan Green's stuff is also great.
I'll have to look into those! Can agree that Livingstone uses the same things throughout his works though! You sort of know what you're getting yourself in to! Can't go wrong with a bit of Green, though. His works never disappoint
Hand is a legend. 👍 So much atmosphere in his work.
Ian is great at setting the scene. All the great characters come from his books. Nicodemus, Zanbar Bone, Yastromo. I think of his work like lord of the rings. Building a world you want to exist in. It's quite amazing he does so much with the skill, stamina, luck mechanic. He really owns it. Allot of the other authors find it basic an can't resist adding to it.
Steven likes to tear up the formula and give you something new to think about. An really mess with yer mind with puzzles.
Can't really complain about that ranking of yours, @Cris. :)
Interestingly you are drawn to the Livingstone Camp (by his doubtless masterpieces of DD & CoT), while listing lots of *annoying* (because often unfairly maze-like) Jackson titles. Btw., the Maze Part (and the whole Across-the-River-Part) of TWoFM was also written by Jackson, while the classical Greenskin/Monster barracks are Livingstone's.
BUT you also like the more epic, slowly paced 'landscape crawlers' of both Jackson (S1:TSH) and Livingstone (CotS), which others often describe as 'dragging', if not 'boring'. 'Island of the Lizard King' is loved/hated for the same reason by others ... . :)
Has anybody actually SOLVED the 'Sorcery!'-series of Jackson? :D
I love exploring! It's what draws me to a lot of games so I guess it comes through in the list aha
The Sorcery series is amazing! The Crown of Kings had some fantastic twists and turns!
My favorite was Dead of the Night.
Dead of the Night has some fantastic cover art! Would love to check it out someday!
@@chrisdwi7821 highly recommend. Some great extra skills thrown in. Works great.
Forest of Doom and Crypt of the Sorcerer were really good. Warlock of Firetop Mountain is a simple classic. Caverns of the Snow Witch ruled.
Deathtrap Dungeon is considered my many to be the best of them all and it's in my top 3 there is a reason why a PC game version was made for it.
Good list so I'll leave my fav book of the entire series and it is Vault of the Vampire. Best written, best map and villain.
It's kind of annoying the first few always seem to get most exposure in these lists, probably because they have been reprinted the most, available on the app, etc. The later ones are just overlooked, never been reprinted, and now getting difficult to get hold of. I wonder if its because they have different authors and IL and SJ want to push their own work🤔.
U should show us your FF collection
That sounds like an idea for a video!
@@chrisdwi7821 show us your green and Orange spines.
@@Democraps_are_narrow-minded I only have Wizard editions and the occasional dragon banner :(
@@chrisdwi7821 i paid 1500 pound to collect 7 copies of Magehunter. I am nuts... 😀😀😀
Just sounds like are annoyed if it too hard.
I have to agree that Creature of Havoc is ANNOYING!! But tgere are many who disagree with us.