Bantam Books, $2.25, ISBN 0-553-24198-2
Sci-fi, 1984

Here’s a warning: Rebel Spy takes off from where The Star Crystal left off, so you really shouldn’t play this one if you haven’t played the previous gamebook but intended to some time in the future. This gamebook’s continuity is a first, but this is just one of the many new things in this series. This is also the debut of Len Neufeld, and look, there is a brand new logo on the front cover!

You have been promoted to a level 2 Interplanetary Spy after you recent triumphs, but alas, there is no rest for the likes of you. You are on your way to the Spy Center when your bosses decide to cut short the chase and transmit your latest case to your computer console. A naughty spy named Valeeta is on the loose, and you and your ally must travel to planet Dabor to apprehend this ex-Interplanetary Agent before she manages to succeed in whatever plot she is in mind.

This is an unintentionally hilarious adventure because you just keep getting into trouble by getting stunned, captured, knocked out, and more. You come off as horribly incompetent here, and you manage to survive only because allies show up at the last minute out of nowhere or there is some lucky turn of events to save your hide. The whole Calamity Jane feel of the adventure becomes tedious fast, and the simple and tiresome puzzles only make things even worse. The author also has a patronizing “My, aren’t you all young and stupid kids?” tone in his narrative that gets old quickly.

Still, the monsters and aliens do look cute, even if there is nothing else in this adventure to savor.