Solo adventure which is a connected sequence of quests, some of which you may choose to skip (aside from the climax). A good feature is that you do not necessarily benefit from these missions, and there is an opportunity for a "Faustian pact". Follows the usual vampire tropes, and might be summarised as "Vampire Hunter Mina" if you gave that character some of Van Helsing's skills.

Stylishly done, a number of exciting combats to fight, with some encounters best handled by talking. Links seem accurate.

In assessing this adventure, it should be noted adaptations of Dracula are legion, with a couple of excellent solo offerings already available. Vault of the Vampire (Fighting Fantasy, Carl Sargent writing as Keith Martin) is well crafted, and includes puzzles; locating and destroying coffins is important, encouraging exploration. Vampire Hunter Belladonna (The Fantasy Trip and OSE versions) is a hexcrawl, with freedom of movement and action. Classical tropes are used, but sometimes with an interesting twist. There is an intriguing overall plot, which is revealed in satisfying snippets by a variety of devices. Lair of the Vampire doesn't add much that is original, but is a strong substantial free offering. There are a number of challenging foes, and even with the right items and a judicious choice of when to fight, it may prove difficult to triumph. In five plays two victories achieved, with one failure in a desperately close climactic struggle with the vampire.

Highly recommended.

Full of useful shenanigans, including two classes (trickster and forester) and monsters (including the notorious redcap)

Quest for a stolen relic which opens out into a sandbox pointcrawl. Achieving certain goals opens up other possibilities. A nice touch that recovery of the strand of a saint's hair is not the true climax.

Links seem accurate. Good variety. Fun in play.

Highly recommended.

Another enjoyable zine. Once again some excellent content but I must call out the guide to converting Fighting Fantasy monsters to Dragon Warriors as useful to all of us with FF books sitting on our book shelves.

Straightforward monster hunt, stylishly written. Good foreshadowing of the ultimate foe, building anticipation. Variations in play are possible; if you collect a couple of vital items, it is easier to succeed. Exploration is generally rewarded; foolish and craven actions are penalised. A number of memorable combats, with a particularly satisfying final encounter. There are occasional physical obstacles, or foes you can bargain with/fast talk.

In play, some lucky rolls at the right time enabled three of the four (varied) characters to succeed, the fourth narrowly losing the climactic battle. Links seem accurate.

Highly recommended.

Very enjoyable, and very adjacent to Fighting Fantasy.

As per usual Red Ruin delivers an amazing product to help GMs everywhere with their campaigns.

Another enjoyable zine. Once again some excellent content and a tribute to the legend that is Russ Nicholson

This is a well-written, atmospheric adventure with lovely illustrations. The author clearly loves the gamebook genre and has given much time and thought to it, resulting in an excellent book that stands up to the classics. The adventure amply rewards risk but respects caution too, and gives the player good choices throughout. The simultaneously whimsical and menacing feel of sylvan faerie lore suffuses the pages and leaves a memorable imprint.

A Dragon Warriors dungeon crawl. Well crafted: the backstory is rich enough to be interesting without suffocating detail; varied encounters, some challenging combats, opportunities for intelligent play; the descriptions maintain a tense atmosphere; the dungeon reforms at various points in the adventure, which works well in the programmed paragraphs format; there are chances to settle for a lesser victory if struggling.

Your character is accompanied by the scholar Brother Cuthbert, who looks much like Derek Jacobi.

Accurately written, with working links. Two minor typos spotted: entry 119, 8 lines from end, "diverse" instead of "divers"; entry 130, penultimate sentence, "many" not "man".

In six (!) plays, two complete victories, and an escape.

Highly recommended.

An experiment from this author, as the adventure uses one of two pregenerated characters and is in the style of Fighting Fantasy, with some obstacles only overcome via specific items you must find. It is a superior take on the genre, and skilfully weaves adventures which are suitable for the differing special abilities of a knight and a sorceror into the same tale. There is an innovative shared dream sequence. Better clued than many of this type, although some replays will be inevitable, and possible frustration when your character is in a failure state but play continues.

Accurate links and text. A minor error: misaligned 2 in the title of entry 244. Marley switches from woollen to oilskin trousers, although he may have changed clothes.

Recommended. (Would add a star for a fan of Fighting Fantasy books.)

This solo adventure, which uses the Dragon Warriors rules and is set somewhere in the north of Ellesland, is essentially a large dungeon that you get to explore.

The setting is atmospheric and the sense of dread increasingly palpable but, unlike many ‘solo’ adventures, there are several different ways of completing the adventure with varying degrees of success (and several different ways to fail and die, of course). The adventure offers a glimpse into the ancient history of this part of Legend (and the author even uses the odd archaic title – like “ambactus” – to set the scene).

At 137 pages (including covers) and 280 encounters, this book ranks alongside others that you would usually pay for – yet Red Ruin offers it for FREE. Bargain!

A good, well-written, interesting adventure. Worthy of 5 stars BUT...

I wonder if there's any thought been given to releasing a text-only version of this? AI has been used for the interior artwork and it is so bad it makes my eyes hurt. I certainly wouldn't want to waste my printer ink printing a hard copy of this.

Solo adventure for an inexperienced character. An investigation phase followed by a decision on how best to defend the village of Brengate from the Beast. Fairly short, but with a variety of possible paths and endings. Intelligent play gets rewarded. Well (self-)illustrated.

A couple of possible structural improvements: (I) You might evacuate some villagers before the events of entry 49, which now need modification; (II) After evacuating the vulnerable, it makes sense to prepare those left fighting for battle.

A simple fix: End entry 10 with: Otherwise go to 23 to organise the fighters, or return to 110. Entry 110, amend third paragraph. ... Elder Wystan (turn to 72 if you have ticked the second box and want to tell him your plan),...

A more complicated rewriting (possibly with a codeword for the events of 49) could allow more combinations of actions.

Minor corrections: Entry 10 "Some of the women can fight". End entry 12 ... Brengate, turn to 17. Entry 33, second mini paragraph, clarification. ... to a minimum of 1 remaining.

Two wins and a losing retreat in play. Recommended.

Sandbox solo adventure in a region where the balance between good and evil forces can be tipped by PC actions. Very accurately constructed: all the links, codewords, and sequences given certain consitions (such as previous events) seem to work. A welcome feature is freedom of action as well as freedom of movement: you can support either side, and/or undertake minor quests as you see fit. It is important to map as items found in one location may unlock opportunities in others. Generally dynamic, with enough information readily available to keep play moving. Should provide multiple enjoyable plays.

There are a few mini dungeons to explore, and perhaps one of these could have more interesting structure (e.g. secret doors, use of depth/height). A minor error: no box to tick in entry 179 (although there is a box in the Tick List).

A strong product, worthy of study by aspiring writers of programmed solos wishing to avoid a railroad.