When Games and Fantasy Collide

From the Genre lecture by Mr. Hardip Singh

  Ever felt frustrated when you read a really good book but the character just always seem to piss you off with their crappy decisions? Ever wished you could just jump into the story and give them a piece of your own mind? Ever said " if I was the hero I'd be so much better than that coward?" Well.... ever heard of a gamebook?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebook

  I remember reading my first gamebook when i was like 10 years old because I couldn't find anything to read and LO BEHOLD I stumbled across my brother's "Escape from Tenopia" series. I was reluctant to read it if I remember correctly, because I was afraid I'd just kill my character. (very lame I know but I did managed kill him countless of times before finishing the story) It was  fairly a simple story of some guy whose spaceship crashed on a foreign planet and he has to find a way to get back to his own planet. During this game the character has to make some life threatening decision like whether to trust some bunch of creatures and follow them or little decisions like should he take a nap or eat some rations.

(This is one of the Escape series I read)

  So yea, its not easy being a hero in the story, I can tell you that I managed to kill mine several times and starting over again from the beginning of the story. (you can always cheat by checking what your decision will lead you to by flipping to the other pages and choosing the best route :P) But it was really worth the fight I'd say because at the end (when I finally managed to finish the story without killing him) it felt like I had read more than one book and there was that nostalgic feeling of triumph. (like yeah!!! I'm the boss) 

Yup yup :) so you are interested here's a list of popular adventure gamebooks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gamebooks

  And for girls there are also those romance gamebooks are well!! The one I tried was about a normal girl who has to make decision to see which guy she ends up with at the end of the story.. There's her complicated status with her current boyfriend, a guy you will meet if you join the science subject, a guy who dislikes you if you join the automobile subject or a secret admirer. Yes!! its all about the choices and which guy you end up with thingy and if happily ever after exists for you (just so that you'll know I ended up with the secret admirer :P)

(I'm not sure if this was the one I read but its probably the same series/author)

 Well that's about it. You should really try reading one adventure or romance it doesn't count because it really something beyond your normal fiction books and it packs a great experience >.< so do read one!!