Ravine

Ravine is a short (<1 hour) horror game where you play as a corporate investigator at a research station above the Arctic Circle. It has some very good horror elements that bring to mind (Spoiler - click to show) The Mountains of Madness, but for the 21st century . The conversations are written clearly, believable, and easy to understand. (Spoiler - click to show) I particularly enjoyed the use of the click-through technique that allowed me to explore different elements of a scene without progressing. I also really liked that I could explore different options' consequences without being able to go back. I thought the interactions you have with the main villain at the end are excellently written. My only criticism is that I did not know how much or little my choices were affecting the story, but it's such a small gripe that I feel this story deserves five stars for its conciseness, mechanics, and storyline.

I really enjoyed this experience - without giving too much away, it employs some classic horror elements from the likes of John Carpenter or Lovecraft to great effect, while tempting the reader to make some dark choices. Well worth a read!

I'm not particular fond of CYOA-style "games". This one hooked me on though. The setting (a company special investigator arrives at a company-owned research site in remote, snow-covered Norway to find out about a missing team) is fairly fresh, the story and it's pacing are crisp and the writing is excellent - not too brief, not sprawling, but to the point in a way that lets you visualize scenery and action. The author gets something out of the limited "game" mechanics by locking the player from information through the choices she makes. I'm sure there's alternative endings and I have the feeling those are only determined by the last three or four choices, but that's just guesswork. For a gamebook this is an excellent piece of entertainment. If you're a kid, or you're easily scared by anything more scary than Sesame Street, be warned - the secret agent story gets a slightly lovecrafty twist during its course.