Product Description

Deep inside the Citadel of Chaos the dread sorcerer, Balthus Dire, is plotting and scheming the downfall of the good folk of the Vale of Willow. His battle plans are laid, his army equiped, and attack is imminent. Star pupil of the Grand Wizard, you can undertake a mission which can strike the heart of Balthus. Ages 8+.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52344 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Funday Times
"Relaunched and as gripping as ever, fans of role-playing adventures will lap [these books] up."

PTA magazine
"Bound to appeal to fans of the fantasy worlds of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings."

Venue
"A fantastic time guaranteed for all with authors Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson."

Customer Reviews

Excellent sequel
Following the phenomenal success of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook The Warlock of Firetop Mountain a sequel was inevitable, with this time Steve Jackson producing The Citadel of Chaos alone. Story-wise this is a disappointingly unimaginative retread of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain - once again as the hero you have to venture into the lair of a mighty sorcerer, besting monsters and traps and collecting artefacts along the way. However, looking back at the gamebooks produced, while Ian Livingstone always seemed content to churn out a small industry of vivid but standard Fighting Fantasy adventures Steve Jackson was always trying out new innovations to the format. As such, while the story is familiar here, Jackson adds some new ideas to the mix, the most important being the inclusion of a magic system, which works surprisingly well.

In The Warlock of Firetop Mountain it was quite common to win your way through to the end of the book, only to be stumped by not having found the correct keys for the Warlocks treasure chest, but The Citadel of Chaos is a much less forgiving book, with plenty of sudden death moments: if you don't find a certain item on your travels you'll never get past Balthus Dire's wife; and if you don't defeat her you'll never get the right artefact to destroy the Hydra - worst of all are the dreaded Ganjee's, which must have been responsible for defeating me on a dozen occasions. Even once you get past this lot you'll still be stumped unless you have also discovered both the combination lock for Balthus Dire's door and the method to defeat him.

Once you find the correct path through the citadel this adventure is surprisingly easy and can be completed by the weediest character providing they have the right spells (this is not a book you can win through on hack and slash combat), but finding that right route is a nightmare. As a child this book was one of only a couple of the Fighting Fantasy's I could never complete without cheating, and as a nostalgic 30-year old it still took me about 3 dozen attempts and copious amounts of map drawing to discover it. Very tough, but fun

They're back
The Citadel Of Chaos...

It conjures up distant memories of a wasted childhood rolling dice in an attempt to reach the elusive paragraph 400.

The Citadel is for me the better of the three lauch books. The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain for those who don't know was co written by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. Each writing the book for one side of the river deep within the mountain. Sadly it showed and I always fely WOFTM was disjointed.

This on the other hand is Steve Jackson through and through and probably his best single book work. The multiple routes through the book give a real sense of exploration and adventure. Balthus Dire is your enemy but reaching him is another matter entirely. All manner of creatures inhabit the Citadel and as with all the FF books there is one golden path to follow.

My main gripe with this book is that it really is too easy. I completed it at the second attempt.

I don't want to put people off however and if you are considering buying a FF adventure book then Citadel Of Chaos is not a bad buy. It never approaches the richness of Deathtrap Dungeon but is streets ahead of Warlock.

A little on the repackaging. Its nice but I doubt that it equates to a five pound price tag. Wizard books would do well to remember that the originals are ever popular and are changing hands for just 2 pounds each. Putting dice at the bottom of the page and updating the cover is little justification for 3 extra pounds. Excluding these minor changes the books are identical to their early 80's form.

Very lazy boys...

My favourite game book of all time.
The Citadel of Chaos is the second book in the successful Fighting Fantasy gamebook series, written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.

In this medieval-style gamebook, you play the part of a wizard/warrior hero, sent to prevent an invasion, by slaying a Dark Sorcerer Warlord called 'Balthus Dire'.

In the adventure, you have to journey to Dire's citadel, explore the maze-like fortress, overcoming traps, hostile fantasy creatures and collecting certain artifacts; which you must find to complete you quest. If you manage to avoid being imprisoned or killed, you can face Balthus Dire in a fight to the death (using your weapon or/and magic).

This FF book is great. Without doubt, is an absolute FF classic. The second book in the series (the first one written by Steve on his own), Citadel of Chaos has all the fresh, enthusiasm of a first work. The traps, monsters and situations are original and exciting.

A must for all FF readers. The ending is especially satisfying, if you get that far...