Avenger!: Volume 1 (Way of the Tiger)

If you like gamebooks and haven't played Way of the Tiger for some reason, you're missing out. It's well developed and your choices and selected skills change your journey significantly. Whole sections of the book can either be missed or are mutually exclusive to other sections, which makes the replay value high, and your character carries over to the next book in the series. The character sheet is weirdly blurry in this version, as is the map, but you should be printing or drawing your own character sheet anyway, so you don't ruin the book.

‘Avenger’ sees the reader adopting the persona of a ninja. This makes the player’s character and the approach to playing somewhat different to that usually offered in adventure gamebooks. Although not set in an oriental locale per se, the story and setting are heavy with oriental atmosphere and characteristics. ‘The Way of the Tiger’ series sees a return to the world of Orb which first appears within the Fighting Fantasy adventure ‘The Talisman of Death’ (written by the same authors). This relatively early Fighting Fantasy adventure was quite a rarity in that it wasn’t set in the traditional Fighting Fantasy world of Titan. Even so, without being told that the two are set in Orb it might not actually be that noticeable. The oriental aspect makes it more reminiscent of Mark Smith and Jamie Thomsons’ other Fighting Fantasy book ‘Sword of the Samurai’. The towns and places in ‘Talisman of Death’ do not get re-visited in ‘The Way of the Tiger’ series. However, more subtle cultural elements crossover between them (mainly in some of the deities and religions), as do a couple of the characters. It is also entirely possible that Mark Smith’s ‘Virtual Reality Adventures’ gamebooks may be set in an area of Orb as well.The reader’s character is given a bit more back story than most adventure gamebooks. Much of this is quite typical of elements from martial arts stories. You’re an orphan adopted by a sect, your master has been murdered, you seek retribution, you must retrieve a sacred item stolen from your monastery, etc. It isn’t a particularly original plot but it is a tried and tested one. Whether you prefer adopting a more fleshed out character or devising your own from scratch is really personal choice. The ninja aspect does allow for a somewhat different style of play to most adventure gamebooks. Obviously the emphasis is more on sneaking and assassinating. Unfortunately the first book doesn’t really allow that much use of the various ninja equipment you start the adventure with.The combat system utilised by ‘Avenger’ is an amalgamation of using dice coupled with character statistics and the actual choices of the individual reader (ie. turn to a certain reference if you opt to attempt a particular kick). It makes the best of both systems keeping the combat fast and statistical but allowing for a more tactical approach and a sense of real time. Initially it seems a little fiddly and the first couple of fights can be a bit muddled. The reader will soon pick it up though and the mechanics of it will become second nature. As the adventure progresses the reader should become more familiar with the variety of moves and, thus, which work better against different types of opponents. This learning curve continues throughout the other books (new moves can also be learnt) which adds an extra layer to the playability. The drawback of this combat system is that it sometimes requires you to hold several pages open at once between the adventure sheet, encounter boxes and multiple references for the actual combat. There are also occasions where a companion fights alongside you but their statistics are on another reference.The adventure suffers mainly from a lack of length and depth, despite 420 references. For the most part it is a rush across the land to reach the object of your quest. An interesting and varied world seems to be around you but you are not really given a chance to explore it or take in the atmosphere. The adventure feels very linear and there is a lack of alternate routes to take. Once completed there doesn’t seem much room for replaying. It is also quite easy. The showdown against the three main adversaries, although enjoyable and well devised, is also fairly simple if you pay attention to the clues you are given. The book lacks a challenge for any regular reader of adventure gamebooks. However, it is great to see ‘The Way of the Tiger’ series being re-published.

This is a reprint of a gamebook series originally released in 1985 (original version  here ). The reprint was financed via Kickstarter by Megara Entertainment, and resulted in Megara producing hardback versions (only available from their website for 29 euros at time of posting) and Fabled Lands LLC producing the softcover version here.The main feature of the reprints was new artwork (the artist, Bob Harvey, could not be contacted to allow reproduction of the original excellent line art) which aroused some controversy during the Kickstarter. In addition, minor text changes were made to correct errors, improve plot consistency and balance the rewards of different story-paths.In terms of writing, the Way of the Tiger series has to qualify as one of the best gamebook series, benefiting from a well-developed campaign world, a great cast of allies and enemies and a plotline that encompasses adventuring, rulership (in book 4) and mass combat (book 5). You play a Ninja which culturally is an outsider to the World of Orb but which offers a distinct style of gameplay compared to other fantasy gamebooks. There is a small degree of character progression (you can gain new skills or bonuses that carry forward to later books) and the great tragedy of the series is the abrupt cliff-hanger ending in book 6, Inferno!In this first book, your task is to stop an attempt to imprison one of the gods and in the process, defeat a major enemy of your order. The high stakes involved (the virtual destruction of the campaign world as it turns out) are at odds with this being your first mission, but this is the only plot criticism (and addressed with the new prequel  Ninja! ). The enemy has powerful allies and the final confrontation will require careful consideration (or multiple replays) to be a success.So a sure-fire 5-star rating, right? Well, while Megara's colour artwork may not have been universally liked, it is reduced to grayscale in this printing which is far worse - and key graphics like the map of an arena in Mortavalon (a town you may visit) are left almost illegible. The map of Orb is also in grayscale, making it significantly less readable than the colour maps in the 1985 original series.The second print issue is the smell of the book. It may seem odd to rate books on this, but this book (and the sequel Assassin!) has a stale, rancid grease odour that makes reading it unpleasant. Off-colour yellow pages don't provide a good impression either, suggesting that this is a cut-price production. So one star off for poor artwork reproduction, another for the off-putting smell.Fortunately, the prequel  Ninja!  has had a different printer - so white pages and no strange smells. That book can be recommended, but those interested in the rest of the series would be better served with the 1985 originals, or the more costly hardback version.

Fantastic choose your own adventure book that takes place in the fantasy world of Orb.I read this to/with my son and we both really enjoyed it, from selecting our special skills at the beginning to deciding which attack to use, this was all great fun. I would highly recommend; we are looking forward to the next instalment arriving.

Ninjas!Magic!A race against time to stop the agents of Evil!Kwon's Flail!What more could you possibly want?

Good book but a little short, great read for young adults and others wanting to start reading fighting fantasy books.

Excellent

I had expected the print quality I remember fondly from many years ago, but this is a cheap reprint.