Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Present Rebel Planet

Such is the storyline of Robin Waterfield's rather enjoyable and original science-fiction gamebook. The hero's mission is an urgent now-or-never attempt to liberate the human race by exploiting the one weakness of a pack of aliens nazis you'll love to hate. The Arcadians are controlled by a single computer on their home planet Arcadion, they're all mind-linked to it by cerebral-receivers. It directs them like an ant colony queen and if it's destroyed - so is the brain of every single solider in the galaxy. The empire will be instantly reduced to a bunch of zombies wandering around, bumping into walls and apologising. People will rejoice!Sounds like an oppression-lifting dream too good to be real doesn't it? But it's true, only it won't be easy. It's virtually impossible to get into the computer building, so the Arcadians aren't likely to be releasing their iron grip on humanity any time soon. To get inside one needs to know the special code to the building's door. Your last-attempt mission is to make contact with the resistance groups on the interesting colonised worlds of Tropos, Radax and Halmuris to get parts of this code (if they have them), which won't be easy either as you know not a lot about the resistance cells. There are some interesing sub-plots to experience as you track down these people. Then if you make it to Arcadion with the code you should be able enter the building, lay explosives and teach those no good vegtable-faced goons no one uses the human race like cattle! But beware - there is a reason why your mission is being launched without much preparation and little or no info about the resistance cells - the Arcadians are on to the scheme. Resistance cells have been betrayed by traitors willing to earn a few more days to live. It's a terrible world.Like Robin's first Titan-based adventure "Masks of Mayhem" this one's set in a variety of places (space, futuristic cities, undergound basements and bleak planets still forming from creation) and also has some good and unexpected sub-plots. This book is full of a lot of originality, starting with a very plausible introductory "history" about the human race's colonisation of three distinct planets with their own unique stories before running into Arcadion, contact with which proves to be fatal.I think a flaw in this book is some things aren't explained as much as they could be, and therefore not utilising this book to its full potetnial. A few paragraphs are described too briefly and/or covered a bit too quickly. Another problem is that Binary Code is not really properly explained, only a table to given to calculate the reference you must turn to to enter the computer building. I myself got hopelessly confused in 1987 when I was only 12 and didn't know what to do! I recommend familiarising yourself with Binary before starting this message (or email [email protected] and I'll tell you). But other than that it's a very original and interesting book. Certainly worth reading.

Although the FF series didn't publish many books of a science fiction nature, sub-author Robin Waterfield really went to town on this one. 'Rebel Planet' perhaps proved the best sci-fi gamebook, because of two aspects: firstly, the concept of Earth in the twenty-fifth century being occupied by the Arcadian Empire; and secondly, the adventure itself was spread across four planets diverse in culture and attitude. There wasn't much added to the Adventure Sheet - only Credits for currency. But despite lacking in new additional rules and attributes, Waterfield devised a breathtaking, sinister mission to end Arcadian rule and free mankind from alien tyranny. Although not of the sword and sorcery type, 'Rebel Planet' proved an interesting challenge. Certainly, it would take you more than one attempt to find the clues and gain access to the Central Computer.