I would like to thank the author for a copy of this gamebook in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Snowbooks

Published – Out Now

Price – £9.99 paperback

Dracula – Curse of the Vampire is an interactive gothic horror novel, in which YOU decide which perils to risk, and which of the terrifying creatures you will meet along the way to fight. But be warned – whether you succeed in your quest or succumb to the curse of the vampire will be down to the choices YOU make.

Reading in some ways is like being the camera to the story. We watch, observe, and react to what happens but it is the pesky author that decides everything. But there is a type of book where the reader gets to choose and these gamebooks where you have to decide from some options what happens make things interesting and fun. Especially if you throw in vampires and this is exactly the joy that Jonathan Green delivered in their Ace Game Book Dracula – Curse of the Vampire that is now out after the successful Kickstarter campaign. It is also gloriously illustrated by Hauke Kock

How does it work? You can choose to follow the notional story or be a specific character – Jonathan Harker; his fiancé Mina Murray, Dr John Seward the psychologist or even Dracula himself. The first three must stop the evil and the other must succeed. You’ll read a passage of text and then there will be some instructions often to make a choice and jump to a particular section or sometimes perform an activity using dice or a pack of playing cards or even having found a codeword that gives you a random result. Each of these leads to multiple narratives (there are 1000 sections in all) so you may or may not succeed depending who you are and what you decide to do.

In terms of readability this is a lot of fun to play. Green is clearly a fan of the original book as there are sections very close to the novel but then improvises with more action scenes and some interesting side-quests. You may have to battle armies; fight ghosts or creatures of the night. The pace is fast and having to decide the best course of action is very involving. The horror is mild akin to a hammer horror experience (how apt) but it is delivered with relish…also keep an eye out for some interesting famous faces in the illustrations! My advice to you dear reader is be bold and also don’t be surprised if you meet a nasty end or two!!

Dracula – Curse of the Vampire is something fantasy and gaming fans should enjoy. It is extremely well designed; having a lot of fun with the classic story but also ensuring the reader can’t guess everything they nee to do. A perfect book to use on a winter night or perhaps a very suitable gift for geeky Christmas presents. Highly recommended!