Red Fox, £3.99, ISBN 0-09-925291-0
Fantasy, 1995

Mydnight’s Hero is the 23rd gamebook in the Lone Wolf series. As usual, you have to run around saving some folks from an evil villain. As some random Kai Grand Master, you have just returned the Moonstone to the Shianti and made your way to Port Suhn. That is a bad mistake, of course, and you should have stopped a while somewhere else to have some nice vacation, because in Elzian is Lone Wolf telepathically telling you that you have to go on a new quest.

What happened is that the King of Siyen, Oridon, had been assassinated recently. His heir, Prince Karvas, is currently exiled to the island of Sheasu because of his crime of wanting to marry a princess of a country that is not exactly on good terms with Siyen. The evil Baron Sadanzo has taken over the throne of Siyen, and naturally he cannot be allowed to keep planting his rear end there. Now, Siyen has a Constitution which decrees that should the heir to the throne returns within 60 days of the King’s death to lay claim to the throne, then the throne goes to the heir. Therefore, Baron Sadanzo has a vested interest in ensuring that Prince Karvas does not remain alive long enough to make his way back to the capital city of Seroa.

You have 50 days to locate Prince Karvas and escort him back to Seroa. You arrive in the town of Mydnight in Sheasu by skyship, and now, you have to figure out where Karvas is. You will find him easily and learn that his wife is now conveniently dead so you will only have to escort one person. The bulk of this campaign deals with you keeping him safe as the two of you make your way to Seroa. Naturally, Karvas will be more of a hindrance than asset in this campaign. Watch as he falls into holes, says the wrong things to get you both in trouble, and bears a birthmark that gives you two away to the enemies.

Mydnight’s Hero is a linear and rather predictable campaign, with not much room for imaginative scenes and memorable encounters. It is what it is, and yet, it could have been so much more… more interesting, more enjoyable, more something. As it is, this is a serviceable gamebook, good enough but not enough to break this series from its rut.