Gamebook Friday: Howl of the Werewolf

Five years* after it was first published, Howl of the Werewolf is still gaining new converts.

Here's the latest glowing review from Amazon**.

For this adventure Jonathan Green adopts the theme of were-creatures. In the world of Titan `Howl of the Werewolf' does for werewolves what `Revenge of the Vampire' did for vampires. However, this is no excuse just to pit the adventurer against a stream of transforming monsters. Instead the focus is upon how such beasts come into existence and how they develop. As such, lycanthropy becomes the central element of the story and you yourself even contract it. This becomes both beneficial and detrimental to your success depending upon the choices you make and the path you follow.

Green's usual depth of detail creates a heavy Gothic atmosphere that fully immerses the reader. It merges the FF concept of the 'Old World' perfectly with Gothic horror. Expect to see many welcome references to and inclusions from this genre. The investigative nature of your quest in trying to discover what is happening in the land of Lupravia and to yourself engages the reader further with this well constructed world Green has created.

Many of the elements that you might expect from Green are present and yet again there is some form of cult involved. But these are generally the things Green does well, always providing a new twist and angle. Although a little predictable they still arouse interest.

I found this adventure immensely enjoyable and the only reason for not giving it five stars is because it is far too easy; strange as that sounds when referring to the works of Jonathan Green. It is one of those style adventures when you must face a major opponent at its climax and whatever you have done leading up to this influences how powerful this opponent is. This unfortunately means that you can practically sail through this book without engaging in all it has to offer and complete it simply by killing the main villain. I did this on my first attempt and was forced to re-read it several times just so I could explore the enticing world Green has created. I got more satisfaction from this than the initial completion. This adventure would be much better if you were forced to explore more to discover items and powers that you would require to reach the final opponent.

If you plan to read any of the new adventures that weren't part of the original series then this is probably the best one. For the reasons above it isn't too challenging but there is plenty of scope for re-visiting this adventure.

You can pick up a copy of Howl of the Werewolf here.

* Five years?!? That's half a decade! How did that happen?

** Although, interestingly, this particular reviewer misses the days of nigh-on impossible battles with über-powerful Big Bads.