Sorcery!

While the previous game adaptation of The Shamutanti Hills, the first quarter of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! gamebook series, was a faithful conversion, this new undertaking expands upon it in every way, with reams of new text (some procedurally-written, to reflect combat and skill challenge outcomes), alternate solutions and new situations.The basic plot remains the same, the player making decisions on behalf of a champion of the kingdom of Analand, sallying forth into uncivilized wilderness on the first wing of an epic journey to retrieve the stolen Crown of Kings.Tucking the gamebook die-rolling mechanics away in favor of more deterministic outcomes, a new, strategic element has been introduced into combat, challenging players to bid a proportion of their combat energy against a foe in a given round, hopefully outbidding the opponent but by a narrow enough margin as to leave further energy in reserve for future combat rounds.The goddess Libra, called upon to intervene in the original gamebook series, has here been replaced by a Spirit Guide who reflects, in a Black and White fashion, the play style of a given player.