PuzzleQuest
6 Book
Various
1985-1987
Puzzles from the kings of gamebooks
PuzzleQuest
Anyone from the 80s will remember "Fighting Fantasy" gamebooks - a long series of Choose Your Own Advevnture books with fantastical characters, creatures and settings. From the two famous creators of "Fighting Fantasy" cam a huge array of side material, including these puzzle gamebooks.
These books have cryptic and beautiful illustrations throughout, obviously influenced by books like Masquerade, with images bordered by puzzling imagery, letters and symbols. One of the more well known books 'The Tasks of Tantalon' has the following premise:
"The land of Gallantaria is reeling from the aftermath of a long and costly war. Tantalon, wizard of the court, rules the kingdom over an Inner Council of scheming knights, jealously vying for power. But Tantalon's years are drawing to a close ...
In order to seek out the kingdom's sharpest minds, Tantalon has devised an epic adventure quest. One which will test the wits of its contestants to the full. From near and far, contenders come to Royal Lendle to take up the challenge.
You are a competitor in the ageing sorcerer's puzzlequest. Can you steal the Brimstone Dragon's treasure hoard? Will you find a way to free Sir Dunstable from imprisonment in the Stinn dungeon? And how will you catch the Demon Fish?
Do you have the courage and a mind sharp enough to complete: The Tasks of Tantalon?"
Note that these are not ordered due to them coming from different publishers and series.
Books in this series
1
Starflight Zero
Peter A. Jones
1985
Can you unravel the clues and solve the mystery of the Black Light and save the Free Planets?
One by one the Free Planets have fallen to the relentless advance of the dark ships until only Caldoran and Palonar remain. Then a last despairing message comes from Palonar and Caldoran is on its own. It seems that the invaders, armed with the power of the invincible Black Light, will soon conquer the last outpost of resistance.
The only hope for the survival of Caldoran is one last desperate mission by a small group of star fighters to the source of the Black Light. YOU are a part of the mission.
As you speed across the galaxy, all the information you need is there, ingeniously hidden in both text and pictures, and each strand of the mystery unravels to reveal the next. But are YOU sharp enough to crack it? Can YOU complete the task you have been set?? Your fellow ships of Starflight Zero await you. Do YOU dare take up the challenge?
1
The Tasks of Tantalon
Steve Lavis (Illustrator)
1985
The Kingdom is beset by a curse of evil. The Wizard Tantalon has devised a grand adventure quest to find a hero who will save the land. Can you succeed where so many have failed?
2
Casket of Souls
Ian McCaig (Illustrator)
1987
"I am Sallazar, spirit guardian of the kingdom of Amarillia. For two hundred years I was the keeper of an artefact of magical energy, so powerful that its creation took the lives of eleven grand wizards. It was a casket that could imprison a demon and was made to defend Amarillia in its darkest years.
When the demon came, I awoke ready to trap it with the cask. But I gambled and lost. Yet the demon can still be annihilated by the casket. There is a hidden spell that can open it and I can lead you to it. Please help for there is no other hope left to us "
Hidden within the twelve magnificent paintings are twelve magical objects. Will you be the one to find them?