Temple of Terror (Fighting Fantasy #14) by Ian Livingstone

Temple of Terror (Fighting Fantasy #14) Reviews

• 
  Juho Pohjalainen

  Something of a sequel to Forest of Doom, I think, where you're resting on your laurels after having saved the dwarves when Yaztromo runs in to recruit you for a new adventure: find and destroy Evil Sorcerer #5, Malbordus!
  
  By collecting a bunch of hidden artifacts locking you into another straight path! Yay.
  
  That said, it really doesn't bother me at all in this one - and after griping on about it for two or three whole reviews before now, I'm not entirely sure why the change of mind. Maybe it's because the temple is pretty linear as it is, making it a lot more difficult to avoid the crystal dragons, and having virtually no memorable encounters outside this straight path (you'd think that would make for a bad thing)? Or maybe it's the setting - the writing, the challenges, the spells (you need a spell just to make water), and the artwork combining to a gripping, atmospheric land where you feel like you need to struggle to survive even before all the monsters and other fantastic elements are added in? Or maybe it's the Messenger of Death, which is a genuinely good idea that makes the usual instant deathtrap into something longer-term and far more tense? And speaking of death traps, the actual instant deaths are also usually foreshadowed and you'll hit yourself in the head for stumbling into them. I don't know - there's a great deal of good this book has that none of the others so far have offered, well enough to allow me to look past my usual pet peeve.
  
  Malbordus himself is easily the most forgettable villain so far, though: he gets a nice bit of backstory that gets my hopes up, but then in the end he just kind of shows up and doesn't talk or do much. The book tries to compensate by adding a secondary villain in the form of the titular temple's queen, but she doesn't amount to all too much either. There's also a little bit of Ian Livingstone's favorite bit, where you really want to write down every bit of random number someone throws in, because someone else later will ask you about it for some reason. But there's only one of them here anyway, so it's all right.
  
  In the end, in this one the atmosphere is the winner. The heat of the desert, the horror of the Messenger creeping slowly in your back, and the amazing artwork, all help prop it up as one of my favourites in the entire series, in spite of a few fumbles.
• 
  Graham

  Another entry in the long-running and popular FIGHTING FANTASY series, this one written by one of the founders, Ian Livingstone. The story adopts the return of a friendly wizard, Yoztromo, from an earlier instalment at the beginning of the adventure, as well as the welcome and familiar surroundings of Darkwood Forest, before jetting off into hot and arid lands for a distinctly Middle Eastern-flavoured adventure.
  
  The writing is strong and there seems to be plenty of action this time around as the hero fights off various enemies, from cave trolls to dark elves, but sadly our adventure was curtailed when we had an early run-in with a Pterodactyl, of all things. Better luck next time, hopefully...
  
  Edit: We did a bit better on the second run through, dying just before the end of the adventure. What I liked about this one is that the horror aspect is played up despite the fantasy setting - this certainly is a temple of "terror". One interesting twist on the usual formula is that at one point the player is visited by the sinister 'Messenger of Death', who leaves the five letters of the word DEATH scattered about the temple. If you happen to find them all, then, well you can guess the result. It adds an extra frisson of excitement to an already thrilling adventure...
  
  NB. Another game, although we didn't get too far again this time around. Loved the references to FOREST OF DOOM, the expansive world building, and the classic Dungeons & Dragons feel.
  
  NB. Another game, and we got a lot further this time around. I love the deliberate fiendishness of this one - the stripping away of stamina and luck points with an occasional sweetener just to make life seem less unfair. The 'Messenger of Death' is a genius creation that scares and adds suspense to this day, and the illustrations are particularly good.
• 
  David Sarkies

  Adventure in the Heart of the Desert
  7 July 2012
  
  It is beginning to seem like Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone are starting to take a back seat in relation to the production of these game books as this appears to be one of the last that Ian Livingstone wrote himself (I know it is not but from memory it is around this point that the concept was opened up to a lot of other writers, most likely to allow the original authors to pursue their own projects).
  
  The style of this gamebook is different from the others in that it does not begin at the entrance to a dungeon as many of the other ones have done, but rather it begins in the town of Stonebridge after you hear a rumour of a young and evil sorcerer attempting to locate some artifacts to enable him to raise an army of dark elves and in turn take over the world. You are approached by the wizard Yaztomo who takes you back to his tower where he teaches you magic and then sends you on your way. It is interesting to note that there is a hint that Yaztomo recognises you, suggesting that this book is a follow on from Livingstone's previous books (with the exception of
  Caverns of the Snow Witch and, of course,
  Freeway Fighter).
  
  The adventure is divided into two sections, the first involves you attempting to get to the dungeon, which is a ruined city in the middle of a desert, and then the second part involving you exploring the city and attempting to collect the artifacts to destroy them. As can be expected from these books, the authors are exploring new concepts, and while magic has appeared in the books before, Livingstone brings it in again with a selection of spells for you to chose. The catch is that magic is painful as it costs stamina to use.
  
  The second invention was a game called the Messenger of Death. Basically a number of letters which add up to spell the word 'DEATH' are scattered across the dungeon and you have to avoid finding them. If you find all of the letters then pretty much bad things will happen. So the catch is that you have to explore the dungeon to find the artifacts, but to avoid finding the letters and getting yourself killed.
  
  In a way this is still enjoyable, but it seems that they are becoming a little easier. This is not a big issue for me as it means that I can read the book faster, and obviously making notes of where the major decisions (that is t-junctions) are located also helps you in being able to complete the book. However the catch always involves making an incorrect turn and thus missing an important door. However, one can usually work out that a room that causes you to suffer significant damage is probably a room best to be avoided (especially if there is damage and a letter in there). I should warn you that this is not always the case. There are some rooms that cause a lot of damage, and have an artifact in them.
• 
  Siobhan

  If the truth is to be known, these books are fun at first. Sadly, however, they quickly grow old.
  
  If you have experienced one of these kinds of books you have experienced them all. Whilst the stories differ, the effect they have upon a person is the same across the board. You have fun for a while and then they are put aside.
  
  It is okay to pick up one or two throughout your life but I would not recommend going out of your way to buy them en masse. As for which one(s) you pick up… well, that is a choice only you can make.
• 
  Michael Kelly

  Curiously, this was a gamebook that I bought when it was first released a couple of decades ago, but never tried at the time. It simply sat on my shelf from them until now, and I have no idea why I never attempted this one, as I certainly gave all the other early Fighting Fantasy titles at least one attempt. Still, it was nice to come to one absolutely fresh.
  
  This book starts off in familiar places with familiar faces, in Stonebridge village and Darkwood Forest, with Yaztromo and Gillibran. It's unusual, in that you actually have to undertake a fairly lengthy journey to reach the city of Vatos where the adventure truly begins. You are given the choice of travelling by sea or land to the southern deserts and then crossing the hot sands until the lost city is discovered, with plenty of encounters along the way.
  
  Once within the walls of Vatos, you have to find five dragon artefacts before the villain Malbordus recovers them and uses them to summon real dragons. This search is made more dangerous by the fact that a Messenger of Death is playing a lethal game with you: if you find where it has concealed the five letters of the word 'Death' in the city, you will perish, and even finding each single letter extracts a heavy toll in Stamina and Luck. This raises the tension, as you need to search diligently for the artefacts, but feel less inclined than usual to poke around for concealed things. It works well. On the inevitable second and subsequent attempts, of course, the letters are easily avoided having been once discovered, but it's quite possible they'll get you first time around (if you survive that long).
  
  It's a good story, with a detailed and cohesive setting. The journey adds a lot to the book, which seems very long and intricate as a consequence, a most satisfying experience.
  
  There are some issues. The book uses some spells, but these are fuelled by Stamina. Since this book has 2 or 3 times as many combat encounters as other Fighting Fantasy titles, you simply can't afford to spend any Stamina. Also, if you choose the wrong spells, you'll face a whole barrage of Luck tests, and there are hardly any opportunities to replenish your Luck in this title.
  
  There are a few unavoidable encounters along the way which are punishingly hard (the Sandworm springs instantly to mind). This is particularly troublesome in a book with such a comparatively large proportion of combat.
  
  Four of the five artefacts are relatively easily found. The other most definitely is not, relying upon (1) choosing the precise route very early on; (2) making a decision which runs counter to common sense; (3) choosing the right route for a later encounter and responding to it in exactly the right way. Irritating to say the least, and only discovered when I was following my previous maps, reduced to simply trying every possible option as a process of elmination.
  
  Overall, though, a good one.
• 
  Andrew

  A guilty pleasure. I was fascinated with Fighting Fantasy books when I was 12 (partly because the fantasy artwork on the covers was so intriguing, partly because my parents didn't let me read them - not Christian enough, apparently). I did manage to smuggle a few into my room, and now I revisit them every now and then.
  
  This one was harder to complete than City of Thieves, which I did last year. It took me ten attempts to complete the mission, but the journey was enjoyable. Now onto something a little more cerebral...
• 
  Edwin McRae

  Admittedly, not one of favourites of the Fighting Fantasy series. Quest items (those damnable dragons) tucked away in utterly obscure places and a fairly bland landscape to engage with. Still, I do REALLY like the Messenger of Death. About the one thing that stands out as genuinely original in Temple of Terror. And, oh, the sweet satisfaction of finally beating this book!
• 
  Guguk

  Had been dead several times before at long last found the right way (^,,^)
  
  And even this, I cheated (didn't use dice at all, I assumed that I always win against any monster I met)
  
  "(>////<)"
• 
  Stuart

  Choose your own adventure. Get the to the temple and destroy the dragons before evil takes over the world!
• 
  Alexander Draganov

  Готина атмосфера, но нелепо трудна.
  Подробно ревю на линка:
  
  https://citadelata.com/%d1%85%d1%80%d...
• 
  Alison Tala

  I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
  
  http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14829901
• 
  Ben

  Temple of Terror, the 14th Fighting Fantasy book, was perhaps the first disappointment of a series which, up to that point, had displayed an incredible run of quality. It’s a surprise that such an underwhelming book was written by the great Ian Livingstone, as it’s easily the weakest entry that I’ve read by him (though I’ve yet to read any of his post-Puffin books).
  
  The book starts off by affording some small pleasure as it briefly revisits locations from two earlier, superior, Livingstone entries: Stonebridge, Darkwood Forest and Yaztromo’s Tower, from Forest of Doom; and Port Blacksand, from City of Thieves. These are just superficial visits, though, and don’t contain any important decisions (even the choice of magic spells).
  
  After that, we get into the adventure proper. It comprises two main sections: a trek through a desert followed by a dungeon crawl. Both sections are really rather dull and it feels like Livingstone is just going by the numbers. The desert section is short. The dungeon section is much more substantial. It does seem really big but I’ve seen a map of it online and it’s very linear compared to, say, Citadel of Chaos or Deathtrap Dungeon.
  
  Though it may not be one if the greats, Temple of Terror is not an easy book. There are a number of sudden deaths I fell foul of. You have to find five artefacts to complete it successfully, and I think I missed an item or two along the way that you need in order to get all the artefacts. After a number of tries, I didn’t quite manage it, but wasn’t sufficiently motivated to try again.
  
  Despite its shortcomings, the writing in Temple of Terror is pretty strong. It’s Ian Livingstone, after all. Temple of Terror’s best feature, though, is it’s memorable cover by Chris Achilleos (though I’m sceptical if that creature is actually in the book). Inside, the artwork is by cartoonist Bill Houston, who illustrated only this one Fighting Fantasy entry.
• 
  Remo

  Los libros de lucha ficción eran juegos de rol de consumo individual. Basados en el planteamiento clásico de
  Elige tu propia aventura (que luego
  Multiaventura llevó un poco más allá), en estos libros había que ir con papel y dado, y estar dispuesto a llevar un recuento de varios estadísticos (vida, fuerza, habilidad) para progresar en la aventura. Eran muy divertidos. Tras el primer recorrido respetando las normas al pie de la letra, de repente, solía pasar que empezábamos a ganar todos los combates y las tiradas de suerte (los libros estaban bien porque aunque perdieras una tirada de suerte aún podías sobrevivir e ir por otro lado de la historia, no eran todas de sí o no).
  Cada libro traía varias horas de entretenimiento. Las historias eran arquetípicas (caballero mata monstruos en misión de rescate, universo Mad Max, naves espaciales que desaparecen, misión en ruinas arqueológicas...) pero eso en realidad era un plus porque te situaba perfectamente en la misión ya desde que veías la portada del libro.
  En conjunto unos libros que recuerdo con mucho cariño y que merecían mucho la pena.
• 
  Jacob

  One of my favourite Fighting Fantasies. I've read this one countless times, and the setting never gets old. A trek through a vast, inhospitable desert takes up a large chunk of the adventure, and you must tangle with both the harsh elements and the even harsher enemies that live there. Despite some of the fights being brutally tough (SK 10 and ST 20, for instance), Temple of Terror makes up for that with engaging mechanics and generous rewards for successful choices made.
  
  By the time you reach the main antagonist, Malbordus, you will have been through hell - so despite his stats being marginally lower than the aforementioned SK 10 and ST 20, he will undoubtedly be a tricky fight, even if he is most definitely not a great villain compared to some of the other, more present FF villains.
  
  Overall, really enjoy this one, even if I know all the tricks up its sleeve. I think the Messenger of Death idea is one of the best ideas FF has ever had.
• 
  Chris Dw i

  Temple of Terror is a book that I have fond memories of. This was my first Fighting Fantasy book and I read it multiple times back in 2006 and it felt like I was stepping into familiar lands whilst reading it again.
  
  Such a fantastic read with some fantastic characters and mechanics. There's something fun about trying to collect your dragon idols whilst avoiding the Messenger of Death.
  
  Plus, the cover used to give me the creeps.
  
  5/5
• 
  Nerd_Pilgrim

  I loved this book. I found the mechanics really simplistic but also fun! My favourite part was the whole "D-E-A-T-H" mechanic which is super memorable and every time you find a piece gets you more nervous. Lots of fun and I think Ian Livingstone is great at creating tense moments for the reader.
  
  Your adventure ends here.
• 
  CharlyBrown

  Interessant de tester un livre dont vous êtes le héros, même si ce ne fut pas glorieux ...
• 
  Ian

  Your quest us to find the 5 dragon artefacts before he does,the evil wizard Malborous,but it is not easy,will you die of thirst? Choose your spells wisely as all could be useful but out of the 10 you can only pick 4 which is annoying as most turn up at some point in the book! To complete your quest it is essential you best 2 certain Giant creatures,one to get a dragon artefact and the other to scare off the evil Leesha! You must also kill her Gaurd,if you manage to do this like u did you may find like I did that your skill will be reduced by 3 points for the climatic battle with Malborous,I lost to a titanic struggle and therefore failed to get to the magic 400,but I was that close!! You also need a certain item or items to fend off the horrible Night Horror and the Tentacle Thing!! This book is above average in the FF series but for me not one of the tip ones!! I look forward to one day in the future completing my quest by actually destroying the evil Malborous!! the first