FF18: Appointment with F.E.A.R

Here we enter the unusual Fighting Fantasy; Appointment with F.E.A.R. This is the eighteenth book in the successful Fighting Fantasy gamebook series, this time written entirely by Steve Jackson. It is a wholly unique adventure that has no parallel with anything other Fighting Fantasy gamebook.

Book Description:A tough, courageous, incorruptible champion of law and order, YOU are the Silver Crusader, using your superpowers to protect the innocent citizens of teeming Titan City from the terrorism, violence, kidnapping and corruption of a host of super-villains. Your mission is to discover the location of the top-secret F.E.A.R. meeting, capture the Titanium Cyborg and his cohorts and bring them to justice.

In this adventure by Steve Jackson you assume the role of a Superhero with a special power of your choice. You can choose from Super Strength, Enhanced Technological Skills (ETS), Energy Blast and Psi-Powers. Depending on what you choose, the course you take on your journey and the problems that need to be solved are completely different. This means that there are four ways of completing the adventure, but once you've done it one way, you can try and solve it another way, essentially making four challenges in one book.

As the Silver Crusader, you attempt to keep order in Titan City, and naturally when things start to look peculiar you are hot on the trail. When news seeps through that Vladimir Utoshski, leader of F.E.A.R. is summoning his criminal-aides to a meeting in Titan City, you realise that it must be stopped at once. Utoshski is also known as the titanium Cyborg, half-human and half-robot, and possesses unheard of strength making him a formidable foe even for the Silver Crusader. Despite Gerry the Grass's efforts, you realise that you must discover where and when this meeting is taking place and consequently spoil the party.

During your journey you will come across a wonderful array of Science Fiction creatures and characters. Depending on which special power you choose, your task will be to find the right ones to help you succeed in your goal and get the respective information from them before they can destroy it. There are three things you need to discover in order to find the meeting, but whether you have what you need when you get there is another matter altogether.

There are plenty of places to visit in Titan City as you search for answers to your questions. There is also plenty to do as the book is expanded to 440 paragraphs in order for the book to operate as it was intended. Also featured in this book is a special box for hero points. These are somewhat irrelevant to your quest, but you can make a note of how many you get during your game and attempt to improve on them next time. Obviously, the main pot is saved for your victory at the end, if that is indeed your destiny. There is also a box in the adventure sheet for clues. These take the form of reference numbers and are a crucial element in your success. You start off with two depending on which super power you have, and your ability to make use of these could influence your ultimate destination.

About the Author: Steve Jackson

Cover:
Brian Bolland

Illustrations:
Declan Considine