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Horror Classics #1
Il Conte Dracula
Into Castle Dracula, a forbidding fortress in the depths of Transylvania, where a satanic count haunts the night and preys upon the innocent, walks a fearless young solicitor, Jonathan Harker. Will he survive the deadly traps and cunning pitfalls laid by his centuries-old adversary, or will the bloodthirsty aristocrat claim another unfortunate victim? Only YOU can decide and only your skill, good fortune and intuition will determine who will triumph. In this new Horror Classic gamebook, YOU can choose whether to play the part of thevampire-hunter, or of his arch-enemy, the vampire count himself! Based on Bram Stoker's famous novel, Dracula.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
J.H. Brennan
99 books48 followersJames Herbert "Herbie" Brennan is a lecturer and the author of over one hundred fiction and non-fiction books for adults, teens, and children.
His works have been translated into approximately fifty languages, he has also written books on the Occult and New Age. He initially trained in esoteric teachings and Qabalah with the Fraternity of the Inner Light, and later became associated with Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and the Servants of the Light.
In 1995 he contributed two novels to the Horrorscopes series under the house pen name Maria Palmer.
In 2003, Brennan published the children's book The Book of Wizardry: The Apprentice's Guide to the Secrets of the Wizards' Guild under the pseudonym Cornelius Rumstuckle.
His works have been translated into approximately fifty languages, he has also written books on the Occult and New Age. He initially trained in esoteric teachings and Qabalah with the Fraternity of the Inner Light, and later became associated with Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and the Servants of the Light.
In 1995 he contributed two novels to the Horrorscopes series under the house pen name Maria Palmer.
In 2003, Brennan published the children's book The Book of Wizardry: The Apprentice's Guide to the Secrets of the Wizards' Guild under the pseudonym Cornelius Rumstuckle.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 27, 2015
Now this is just so ingenious! 'Horror Classics' was the third series of gamebooks that J.H. Brennan wrote, and he had obviously learned and perfected his craft by this point, because the innovations introduced here are imaginative and groundbreaking.
Firstly, he separates the descriptions of each area or room in the story from the actions that can be taken in that place. So when a reader decides upon the action they wish to take and turn to it, they will also be directed to a separate general decsription of the place that should be read first. The place remains the same throughout and the actions vary depending upon the direction the reader approaches it from and what has occurred previously. This innovation keeps the descriptions rich and flowing, but prevents a lot of unnecessary duplication, which means a lot more story can be crammed into a lot less pages.
In fact, this means that Mr Brennan is able to fit not one, but two, separate storylines into the same book! So at the beginning of the book, the reader decides whether to play as Jonathan Harker or as Count Dracula, offering a completely different experience in each case.
Dracula's castle has - as you would expect - many secret passages. There is also a unique and workable way to search for these and keep track of your journey when you discover one. The location of a couple of mission critical secret passages are hinted at by clues that can be discovered (and in one case decoded); others must be sought out by the reader.
I have so far played through Harker's story. Gaining entry to the castle was the first obstacle, as the main door was locked and had no knocker or bell. By exploring the extensive grounds, clues were eventually gathered and access gained. Some of the encounters along the way were a bit challenging, especially since a couple of my scores were rather low. But the book is quite generous with healing, so I made it through.
After entering the castle proper, I was lucky enough to discover and decode a couple of clues to the whereabouts of the Count's hidden crypt fairly rapidly, so made my way to the endgame. I had already acquired the clove of garlic and applewood stake required to destroy him. (Oddly enough, these are not referred to in the final fight; it is simply assumed that they are put to good use once he has been overpowered.) Dracula was tough, but I scraped through thanks to some assistance I had discovered along the way and some VERY lucky rolls!
Definitely one of the most intriguing and fun and inventive, innovative gamebooks I have encountered. I will revisit it at a future point to play through Dracula's story and update this review at that time.
Firstly, he separates the descriptions of each area or room in the story from the actions that can be taken in that place. So when a reader decides upon the action they wish to take and turn to it, they will also be directed to a separate general decsription of the place that should be read first. The place remains the same throughout and the actions vary depending upon the direction the reader approaches it from and what has occurred previously. This innovation keeps the descriptions rich and flowing, but prevents a lot of unnecessary duplication, which means a lot more story can be crammed into a lot less pages.
In fact, this means that Mr Brennan is able to fit not one, but two, separate storylines into the same book! So at the beginning of the book, the reader decides whether to play as Jonathan Harker or as Count Dracula, offering a completely different experience in each case.
Dracula's castle has - as you would expect - many secret passages. There is also a unique and workable way to search for these and keep track of your journey when you discover one. The location of a couple of mission critical secret passages are hinted at by clues that can be discovered (and in one case decoded); others must be sought out by the reader.
I have so far played through Harker's story. Gaining entry to the castle was the first obstacle, as the main door was locked and had no knocker or bell. By exploring the extensive grounds, clues were eventually gathered and access gained. Some of the encounters along the way were a bit challenging, especially since a couple of my scores were rather low. But the book is quite generous with healing, so I made it through.
After entering the castle proper, I was lucky enough to discover and decode a couple of clues to the whereabouts of the Count's hidden crypt fairly rapidly, so made my way to the endgame. I had already acquired the clove of garlic and applewood stake required to destroy him. (Oddly enough, these are not referred to in the final fight; it is simply assumed that they are put to good use once he has been overpowered.) Dracula was tough, but I scraped through thanks to some assistance I had discovered along the way and some VERY lucky rolls!
Definitely one of the most intriguing and fun and inventive, innovative gamebooks I have encountered. I will revisit it at a future point to play through Dracula's story and update this review at that time.
September 30, 2025
In realtà sarebbe un 2,5. Constestualizzandolo negli anni '80 bisogna riconoscere che Brennan è innovativo, sviluppando una nuova tipologia di regolamento e di organizzazione dell'ambiente. Anche la possibilità di svolgere l'avventura con due personaggi è una nota a favore.
La vena ironica che fa da sfondo ad una storia tutt'altro che originale (ma stiamo parlando di un librogame per ragazzi, e ci può stare) però non riesce ad eclissare un bilanciamento di gioco a dir poco imbarazzante, con scontri estremamente difficili e morti istantanee senza alcuna logica. Se poi aggiungiamo che la narrazione vera e propria non è mai stato il forte di Brennan...
Insomma, lettura simpatica, gioco frustrante.
La vena ironica che fa da sfondo ad una storia tutt'altro che originale (ma stiamo parlando di un librogame per ragazzi, e ci può stare) però non riesce ad eclissare un bilanciamento di gioco a dir poco imbarazzante, con scontri estremamente difficili e morti istantanee senza alcuna logica. Se poi aggiungiamo che la narrazione vera e propria non è mai stato il forte di Brennan...
Insomma, lettura simpatica, gioco frustrante.
July 6, 2019
Seemingly with many less paragraphs than a Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Dracula's Castle nonetheless is a fun and well-designed adventure through a twisting and confusing castle. Easy to get lost, and with two unique quests (one as Dracula vs Van Helsing, and the other with Jonathan Harker vs Dracula). Contains much of the enjoyable humour which JH Brennan became known for with GrailQuest, and is very difficult to beat. Quite difficult to get a hold of now, which is a shame.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews