Necklace of Skulls

Virtual Reality #4

by Dave Morris

The Great City that has stabilized the Mayan world for centuries has fallen. Chaos and violence spread, but for you (the hero of the adventure) all that matters is to find your twin brother, who has gone missing after an expedition far out across the western wasteland. Is he alive or dead? You must face the ghosts of kings, demons of the subterranean afterlife, monsters of Mayan myth and the sorcerer Necklace of Skulls in your quest to find out the truth.

Genres: Gamebooks, Fantasy, Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 1993

Reviews

[Arminion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necklace of Skulls is one of my favorite Virtual Reality books. The setting is very unique and interesting (Mayan/Aztec) and the amount of options, places and items to see and experience is amazing. I can't tell you how many times I have played this book. The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because the ending is super tough, almost impossible. You have to cross the desert, kill a giant hydra, survive 5 houses of horror, play some kind of volleyball match and finally face the main boss, all this without much places to rest and heal. Despite this, I recommend it!

[Who · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging in ways other gamebooks in the series have not been. Inspired use of branching paths (I count at least 4 that diverge and converge throughout the book), and as usual an interesting setting. My one quibble is there is a way to obtain immortality in the book, which feels a lot like cheating

[Andy Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necklace of Skulls is an entertaining and atmospheric gamebook, unusually set in the Americas, Mayan era rather than an alternative fantasy world. There isn’t any filler, the setting is well realised and the puzzles are fair. As with other Critical IF (formerly Virtual Reality) books, I also like the fact there weren't any difficult rules to understand (or disregard).

Like a lot of the author’s gamebooks, while I enjoyed them all back in the day, it’s only having read them latterly that I fully appreciate the depth of the story and quality of the prose. The more I consider it, the higher the series ranks in my list of favourites gamebooks given there isn’t a weak link and because of the originality of each entry. Heart of Ice, in particular, is a classic of the genre.

[Ангѣлъ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Яката корица, тъпата история. Англоезичните книги-игри от едно време спрямо нашите бяха като трабант спрямо лимузина. Нищо общо :)