Fighting Fantasy: House of Hell

As a kid I collected over 40 of the Fighting Fantasy books (in green covers), in order. This one, while not my "favorite", it is easily the most memorable. It truly is scary and I recommend it for a quick thrill. It's amazing how such a simple format is pulled off so well here. This could definitely make for a great computer game - at least a fun level in one. Never did win it though. ;)

When I bought the first edition of this book as a kid back in the 1980s, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. The book was titled, "House of Hades," as evidently its American publisher thought using "Hell" was too harsh. Now the title "House of Hell" has been re-instated, and that's just what you'll have to go through in order to survive the gamebook without cheating. For young readers, the story is chilling. You play as a person whose car breaks down on an unused, desolate road. The only refuge from the storm is a crumbling old house. Nobody appears to be home at first, but soon you are welcomed inside by the master of the house - the sinister Earl of Drumer and his butler, Franklins. The Earl is seeminly a generous host, but what he doesn't tell you is that the house is a den of evil. Innocents who accidentally enter the house are quickly captured and sacrificed in occult rituals, and many of the rooms that await discovery are inhabited by gruesome creatures and sights guaranteed to send chills up your spine. As a kid, it blew my mind that this gamebook escaped the notice of censors (especially with its unabashed usage of satanic symbols, names and instances of devil worship) and was published with just the title changed. Many of the names used in the book are the actual names of demonic entities that serve as the lieutenants of Hell. Much of the subject matter is quite disturbing...especially the descriptions of your fate should you fail to escape from the house. Needless to say I was addicted to playing through the book as a teenager, but I had many sleepless nights as a result of doing so. Even as an adult, it's still nearly impossible to escape from the house. It's a sinister little adventure not for the faint of heart, and I recommend it for more mature readers. If you're up for a challenging gamebook, and enjoy a good horror story, I highly recommend it. Even better, read this book on a dark and stormy night with a flask of brandy...and avoid white wine at all costs!

... So begins your adventure in House of Hades, Steve Jackon's excellent Fighting Fantasy horror gamebook. The entire adventure has you trying to survive the horrors of this vile mansion, desperate to find a way out. However, not all that you encounter will be evil... The gamebook is well written, with many encounters that are delightfully scary; so much so that there is a "FEAR" score to keep track of. Each time you get frightened, you add points to your fear score. If it reaches a certain amount (one roll of a die plus 6, determined before you begin), then you are frightened to death, and the adventure is over. All in all, House of Hades is one of the better Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. The ending even provides a surprise twist.

Of all the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, House of Hades is unique in two main ways. First of all, it takes place in the present time and "real" world: no dragons to fight or spaceships to fly. Second, it is based on genuinely creepy stuff ala "Amityville Horror" and "The Exorcist": grotesque demons, fanatic cultists and dark rituals. The plot and story itself are scary: putting it in a gamebook with you in the middle elevates it to another level! Don't read this one alone, even with the lights on!