Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger is a narrative adventure game based on the book published in 1982 by R. A. Montogomery. The game can be played with one player or as a cooperative game with two or more people, aged 10 and above.
Judging by its cover, you might guess that this game is set in the 1980s. Players work cooperatively, taking the role of a troubled amateur detective and psychic investigator. In late June, you wake up in a cold sweat as you have been having nightmares and believe the visions you see really mean something. It’s the players’ job to find out what the cause of your nightmares is and what the visions mean. Are you a risk taker? Will you dare to explore and collect items or would you prefer to face off against dire challenges?
The game comes in a compact box, with 160 Story cards, 129 Clue cards, game board, die, one yellow cube and one red player piece. The game set up is very simple. Before you start the game, players have a quick look at the back of the game board for clues. Then place the game board in the middle with the yellow cube on the Danger Meter and red playing piece on the Psychic scale. The Psychic Scale and Danger Meter show how well you are performing. If you are a risk taker, you may end up too high on your Danger Meter!
Most story cards have choices at the bottom and how you answer will affect the direction in which your story progresses. It is very easy to follow through and we were instantly hooked into the storyline.
There is one 10 minute mini story game (The Grounds) to start your game and then four main chapters (The Mansion, The Rescue, The Hideout and The Invasion) to follow. It is just like the original book it is based on and you play through an entire story in chapters. Personally, I have not yet read the book but Mr K and Mr C are fans of the series so we knew the concept of how this game works.
There is lots of reading and decisions to make during the game. Each individual has to work together to solve the clues and puzzles. We finished the first chapter very quickly as we didn’t want to take too many risks. It did suggest us to go back to collect more items for clues to hold onto for later or advance the game. It is natural to finish the whole game in one sitting rather than breaking it into parts but of course, you could end the game on a chapter if you need to.
We had fun playing this game with my children and were able to work together. One of the best things about this game is that we can play again and make different choices to see where we end up instead! It is challenging and definitely a fun game to play. This is a game that captivates your mind and requires plenty of attention. It is available to buy from good retailers, online and Amazon.
If you like this sort of adventure and co-operative game, do check out this T.I.M.E Stories we had reviewed that is set in the future.
Disclosure: We are members of Asmodee UK Blogger Board Game Club. We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We have included an Amazon affiliate link to the product. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission.