Game 179: The Forest of Doom (1984)

The Forest of Doom

United Kingdom

Penguin Books (developer and publisher), based on a book by Ian Livingstone

Released 1984 for Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum
Date Started: 12 March 2015

Date Ended: 12 March 2015

Total Hours: 4

Difficulty: Easy (2/5)
Final Rating: 19
Ranking at Time of Posting: 36/176 (20%)

Raking at Game #431:  126/431 (29%)

The Forest of Doom is the second and, I think, last Fighting Fantasy gamebook adapted for the computer by Penguin Books. Even more than The Citadel of Chaos, it illustrates the missed opportunities associated with adapting a gamebook to a computer game.

The book is about the same size as The Citadel of Chaos in pages and entries.

The backstory casts you in the role of a wandering adventurer looking for fame and fortune. One night, a wounded dwarf named Bigleg collapses near your camp outside the Forest of Doom. Before he dies, he tells his story: he's a subject of King Gillibran of Stonebridge, who desperately needs to unite his people against some trolls. The dwarves being an ornery lot, they'll only follow Gillibran if he can assemble the four bronze "rune talismans" that belonged to the kings of old. Bigleg's party had managed to find the talismans, but they were ambushed by an "assassin thief" from another village; the thief, in turn, was killed by the goblins of the Forest and the talismans were scattered among the area's denizens. Before dying, Bigleg tells the adventurer to take his 30 gold pieces, visit a local mage named Yaztromo to get outfitted, find the talismans, and bring them to Stonebridge.

Below is a map of the titular Forest, taken from the Fighting Fantasy web site. The map doesn't exist in the gamebook, but the author, Ian Livingstone, clearly worked from a map because  all of the directions correspond perfectly. I've drawn a red line indicating the path that you must take to win the game:

The game and the book diverge in the successful path, I should add. In the book, your quest is to find the Hammer of Stonebridge, and you only have to find two parts. In the game, you have to find four runes, and they're in different places than the pieces of the hammer in the book. Thus, unlike The Citadel of Chaos, the text of The Forest of Doom differs slightly between the book and the game, although overall the encounters play basically the same.

Combat is unchanged since Citadel of Chaos.

As you explore the game, you can never backtrack and you can never go south. Thus, while it's possible to hit every encounter on the east/west roads by going all the way in one direction, then going north, then going all the way in the other direction, there are a bunch of places where you have to make a decision about which north/south road to take, causing you to miss a host of interesting encounters along them. Moreover, if you don't follow specific roads, you won't find the four talsimans, and you'll lose the game when you reach Stonebridge. (There are otherwise only a couple of immediate deaths in the game, and you have to do something really dumb to reach them.)

This is the kind of gamebook choice that we might call a "moron test." Sure, I'm going to attack the ultra-powerful wizard who's trying to help me!

You can understand why this has to happen in the book--kind of. If the book allowed you to backtrack, it would have to store multiple entries for each location depending on whether you'd previously visited. Or, it would occasionally have to say something awkward like, "Have you been to this location before? If so, turn to entry 59; if not, turn to entry 123." This, admittedly, wouldn't have been so bad. But the book came up with a different solution that I'll talk about in a second.

I know the four talismans are scattered randomly in the forest. Why do I "dismiss" the path to the south?

In a computer version, on the other hand, there's absolutely no reason not to let the player flexibly explore the entire map. It should have posed very little programming challenge, and it would have turned an on-screen book into a reasonably fun, if small, text adventure. The programmers showed some flexibility in other areas, so why not in this one crucial area?

But wait--it gets worse. At the end of the book, if the player reaches Stonebridge without the two parts of the hammer, the book gives him to the option to return to the beginning. He has to make a luck roll. If he fails, he gets slaughtered by hill people. If he passes, he goes back to Yaztromo's tower with all his equipment and gold, and he can purchase new items and set out again. If he found one part of the hammer the first time, he can make different choices the second time and find the other part.

Purchasing items at the beginning of the game.

The game offers the same thing, but with one crucial difference: if you make your luck roll, you escape the hill people, but you lose your backpack and all but 5 gold pieces in the process. This forces you to start completely over, in a position worse than a character starting the game from scratch. Why change the one thing that partly redeemed the linear nature of the book?

Explain how this is "lucky."

Like The Citadel of Chaos, the game has you start by rolling skill, stamina, and luck statistics. Where Citadel has you select from a list of spells, Forest has you purchase a variety of magic items from a shopping list given to you by the wizard Yaztromo. It consists of things like a Potion of Plant Control, a Ring of Light, garlic buds, and an Armband of Strength. Each item works once and most of them are necessary for solving various puzzles. After you make your selections, you make your first decision about whether to go west or east.

My character sheet in the midst of one of my attempts.

The first talisman is one move to the west, one to the north, and a decision to investigate a hut. The hut turns out to be occupied by a witch who tries to knock you out with some herbs. If you don't have a Headband of Concentration, you get knocked out and wake up outside with none of your food, having lost the opportunity to get the talisman. If you do have the Headband, you survive the knock-out drugs, but the witch's servant hurls a chair at you and you have to make a luck roll. If you fail, you get knocked out, lose your food, and miss your chance at the talisman. Only by having the headband and making the luck roll is it possible to win the game.

Finally, where the book gives you clues like "If you have the Headband of Concentration, go to Page 73," you get no such help from the game. Unlike The Citadel of Chaos, where the player had to choose to use the right spell at the right time, in Forest, the game automatically employs the appropriate item if the player has it. Thus, if you don't have the right item when you need it, you don't even know what the right item is.

The other talisman-based encounters are a bit easier, but in general, The Forest of Doom is a lot more punishing than The Citadel of Chaos, but even weirder, The Forest of Doom game is a lot more punishing than The Forest of Doom book. What makes me a little angry is that it doesn't have to be this way. The Forest of Doom could have been a fun game. The encounters are more interesting and less goofy than Citadel, with a couple of mini-dungeons to explore, some creative enemies, a few actual role-playing choices, and a lot more combats. It would have been nice if you didn't have to skip 3/4 of them on the one path that weaves through the four talisman encounters.

A "moral" role-playing option. Of course, if you go to help, you end up getting an item stolen from your backpack.

I do, however, feel compelled to undermine my argument with one possibility. I said that the game, if you make your luck roll, dumps you back at the beginning with only 5 gold pieces. I'm 95% sure that the game also returns the talismans, if you found any, to their original locations. However, there's a weird encounter with a group of bandits right before the endgame. It's weird because a) you can skip it by paying them 7 gold pieces, a paltry sum by that point in the game; and b) if you choose to fight, it's a relatively difficult fight with five consecutive enemies, but it results in almost no reward: two measly gold pieces. Part of me wonders if the bandits don't turn out to have any talismans you might have lost in the last game. I can't check because I can't get the game to work if I'm returned to the beginning. It gets stuck on a continuous "loading" screen.

If you manage to make it to Stonebridge with all of the talismans, the dwarves take you to their king, who shows the runes to his people and speaks about their forthcoming victory over the trolls. He gives the reader a gold winged helmet and a silver box with dozens of jewels and gems.

It is slightly refreshing to find a game in which my only goal is to become wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.

A full GIMLET is hardly necessary, as it's the same game engine as The Citadel of Chaos and you can read my scores there. I'd maybe given this one a single extra point for "encounters and foes" and reverse the "magic and combat" and "equipment" scores I gave to Citadel, since this game has no magic but does have a slightly more advanced equipment system.

If you're interested in more about the plot of the game, I've given three detailed summaries below. The first is what happens if you always choose the first option; the second is what happens if you always choose the last option; the third is a full walkthrough for the game. There are some other gamebook derivations in 1984, but I'll wait to experience them, as I'm a bit burned out by the sub-genre. Next up we'll have some more Tunnels & Trolls.

****

Always choosing the first option

Went left at a crossroads. Helped a guy free his leg from a bear trap, but he turned out to be a thief who stole all my gold [I could have chosen a random item instead]. Kept going, saw a goblin sitting on a log tossing a rune to himself. Attacked immediately. Goblin turned out to be a shapechanger with relatively high stats. Defeated him in combat and found that the rune was part of the illusion. Ate some mushrooms on the ground and found my skill and luck swapped [but they were the same to begin with, so no big deal]. Sat in a chair to rest; turned out to be a Chair of Life Draining, and lost 4 stamina points and a meal. Attacked by a wild boar. Killed it with no injury to myself. Took a gold ring from his nose, which automatically translated to 10 gold pieces. Gained a luck point from this, but was already at maximum.

             
Went north at a junction. Reached the bank of a river near a waterfall. Walked down to base of waterfall. Couldn't see through sheet of water; took a chance and walked through it. Found myself in a cavern, where I was attacked by a fish man. Killed him without taking injury. Found nothing of value and left.

Camped behind some rocks. Awakened by a growl at night; attacked by werewolf. Killed him with loss of 2 stamina. Slept rest of the night, collected my belongings, and left. Went north at a junction. Fell into a bear trap with a wooden stake. Had to test my luck. Was lucky; missed stake but still fell to bottom at loss of 2 stamina. Used boots of leaping to get out (this happened automatically; I didn't have to choose it like I did for the spells in Citadel of Chaos). Came upon a rock with a sword sicking out of it and tried to pull it free. Passed skill test; got enchanted sword.

Went west at a junction before Stonebridge. Reached a hut by a pond; investigated, found it uninhabited. A vase on the porch rattled and was filled with an "eerie blackness." Dropped it on the ground, which released an earth elemental that caused an earthquake and destroyed the house; I lost 2 stamina and 3 luck. Kept walking into forest. Encountered a "catwoman" and fought her, killing her with no loss of stamina. Collected gold studs from her ears, bringing my gold piece total up to 20.

Found dwarf sitting on the side of the road. Struck up a conversation. He turned out to be Trumble, a dwarf from a village competing with Stonebridge, searching for the runes himself. This caused me to lose 1 luck point. Chose to attack him. Killed him with no loss of stamina (my high initial score plus the enchanted sword were doing a good job here). Found a corked bottle in his backpack. Drank it; turned out to be a health potion and I got 3 stamina back.

Heard stomping through the forest. Bravely faced it, and found myself fighting a forest giant. Killed it with no loss of stamina. Found brass lantern on his body. Rubbed it and a genie apeared. I told him of my quest, and he told me to search the giant's boot. I found a bronze talisman and got 1 luck point back. My inventory was full and I had to leave something behind, so I left the garlic buds, assuming that if I met a vampire, the holy water I was still carrying would do the trick.

Further down the path, attacked by "death hawks." Killed them with no loss of stamina. Found a silver band on one of the hawks' legs that said "death awaits you"; left it behind. Found lair of large creature and saw something glittering; investigated more closely. Attacked by wyvern. Failed luck test, was hit by blast of fire, lost 4 stamina points. Killed it in combat with loss of 2 stamina. Ate a meal to get some back. Found a gauntlet, a gold ring, and 10 gold pieces in his lair. Tried on gauntlet; turned out to be Gauntlet of Weapon Skill. But I didn't want to leave another item behind and my skill was already pretty good, so I left it.

The last encounter of the game is completely unnecessary.

       
Kept walking. Accosted by three men and a woman who demanded 7 gold or three objects. I gave them 7 gold. Continuing on, I reached Stonebridge, having failed the quest with only one talisman. Made choice to circle back around to Yaztromo. Attacked by hill men on the way back. Lost everything and ended up worse off than if I started a new game.

*****

Always choosing the last option:

Went east at initial crossroads. Found a talking crow atop a signpost; he wanted a gold piece for his advice, but I ignored him and kept going east. Came to trees bearing strange fruit but declined to eat them. Later, heard voices in the trees but ignored them. Then heard growling in trees but ignored that, too. Went west at a crossroads and north at the next one. Attacked by pygmies with blowpipes. Passed 2 luck tests and neither hit me. Pygmies ran away and I declined to give chase.

Attacked by swarm of bees and decided to fight rather than jump into water. Killed them with loss of 2 stamina. Reached bank of a river and decided to cross it by swimming and holding my backpack above the water. Crossed safely. Camped, attacked by three wolves in the night. Killed them with no loss of stamina. Collected gold-studded collar from one of them.

Came upon a hut but kept walking. Also ignored a boulder rocking back and forth. Went east at a split. Ignored a friar who was heading my way. Ignored building covered with ivy. Ignored wyvern's lair (the first time I came upon something from the first track). Assailed by bandits; refused to give them anything and killed them with loss of 4 stamina. Bandits had nothing but 2 gold pieces on them.

Arrived at Stonebridge having failed with no runes.

Alas.

        
*****

Game walkthrough:

During character creation, prioritize luck, as you'll need to make an initial luck roll in witch's hut. Skill is important but not as important, since all enemies will have a much lower stamina total than you, and eventually you'll wear them down no matter how bad your skill. There are also plenty of ways to restore stamina and find items that improve your skill. If you roll a skill of 10 or higher, you'll breeze through the game.

At Yaztromo's, take the Headband of Concentration, fire capsules, Potion of Plant Control, Ring of Light, Rope of Climbing, and the Net of Entanglement. Leave yourself at least 3 gold pieces and 2 empty inventory spaces. Buy a healing potion if you want to hedge your bets.

The most crucial decision in the game.

        
Go west at the first intersection, then north. Look through the window of the hut. Enter and draw your sword immediately. The old woman will try to knock you out with some herbal chloroform, but your Headband of Concentration will save you. Her servant will toss a wooden chair at your head and you'll face your first luck test. If you fail and get knocked unconscious, start the game over because you can't win at this point.

Assuming you pass and the witch flees, search the hut. Pick up the book under the table and receive Talisman #1, a luck point restored, and the Eye of Amber (which you won't need).

At the intersection, put your hand in the hole if you don't mind losing a stamina point in exchange for a magic helmet that gives you an extra strength point in combat.

Go east at the junction. You'll get attacked by a treeman and lose 1 stamina, but your fire capsules will save you. East at the next junction, then east again. You'll automatically go north. You get attacked by tangleweed, but your Potion of Plant Control takes care of it.

At the river, start a conversation with the centaur and give up the 3 gold pieces to get across the river. Attacking him accomplishes nothing and trying to cross on your own means you lose 1 provision.

You camp and are attacked in the night by a giant spider. Nothing to do but fight it. With a skill of 7, the worst that happens is you're evenly matched (or +1 if you got the helmet).

The next morning, go east along the new path and enter the cave. You'll find a sleeping cave troll with a leather bag nearby. Try to creep up and take the bag. If you fail the luck test, the Net of Entanglement will take care of him. Otherwise, get out and find the Rune Talisman #2 and a small brass bell; it's a quest item for a friar, but you won't be meeting him if you want to win the game.

West at the next junction, then west again. Ignore the well unless you want to explore a little side dungeon where you can fight some gremlins and get some treasure (it doesn't hurt anything but doesn't help, either). If you do that, you'll eventually return out of the same well. Keep going west until you can go north.

You'll come to a mud pool. Don't toss a coin in or you lose 1 luck. If you've taken any wounds, rub some mud on them for 4 stamina points healing. Continue. You'll get attacked by a pterodactyl, with no choice but to fight him. His skill is 7, so at worst you're evenly matched.

Follow the arrow when you're finished with the bird, and you'll reach a cave entrance. Your Ring of Light will disappear here as you use it for illumination.  You'll find a medallion worth 5 gold pieces. Next, your Rope of Climbing fulfills its destiny to get you safely into the cave. Climb down.

At the first tunnel intersection, the safest option is to eat the (you may get some screwed up text here; it doesn't seem to hurt anything) green-topped fungus. It will restore 4 stamina points if you need it. Attacking the workers reveals that they're clones of some sort and gets you nothing. The red-topped fungus is poison.

Continue on to the first alcove. Look inside the barrel for a magic shield that will give you +1 to attacks. Open the wooden chest for 8 gold pieces, Rune Talisman #3, and a point of luck. If somehow  you've taken a lot of damage in combats and your stamina is low, this would be a good time to eat some food to restore it.

Keep climbing (the only option) and ignore the next alcove; it has an unnecessary battle with 4 clone warriors that gives you nothing. At the top of the stairs, you're attacked by a fire demon with a flaming sword. He has a skill of 10, making him pretty tough, but even if you started low, you should have an effective skill of 9 by now, and you have far more stamina.

Once you've killed the fire demon, don't put the crown on your head or sit on the throne. It leads to one of the only "bad" endings where you become the new king of the clone warriors. Instead, climb out the roof.

One of the few scripted "bad" endings to the game.

        
Head east the next time you can make a choice. You'll find a gold piece and get 1 luck point if you need it. The dwarf that you encounter next is an enemy, from a rival clan, also searching for the Rune Talismans, but he doesn't have any. Starting a conversation with him will cost you 1 luck point, although you learn his story. Attacking him (either immediately or after the conversation) will give you a health potion that restores 3 stamina; if your skill is low enough that you actually NEED it, you'll probably lose more than that fighting him in the first place. The safer option is just to shove him off the log and keep going.

I love how there's no option to just walk past him. You either have to kill him or shove him off the log, but you can't just keep on walking.

       
You'll reach a couple of junctions where you have no choices. When you hear the heavy footsteps coming, don't hide; face the enemy, who turns out to be a forest giant. Fight him (he has a skill of 9; at worst, if you got the loot above, you should be evenly matched). When he's dead, make sure you rub the lantern--it's the only way to win. A genie will come out and tell you to search the giant's boot, giving you a luck point and Rune Talisman #4.

Next, you'll have an unavoidable fight with 3 "death hawks" with laughably low skill, especially since it's the last necessary combat in the game.

You come next to a clearing next to a wyvern's lair. You can investigate the lair if you want--you'll have to pass a skill check to avoid his fire breath, then defeat him (Skill 10) in combat. When you kill him, take the gauntlets--they add anther point of strength in combat--but don't put on the ring; it's a Ring of Weakness. Anyway, you don't need the extra combat help, so you can just keep going.

In the last encounter of the game, you're confronted by four bandits who demand 7 gold pieces or three items from your backpack. Unless you want to fight them (four in a row, at Skill 8) for role-playing reasons, it's easier just to hand over the money, which you have plenty of. Either way, after the encounter you proceed to Stonebridge for the endgame text and reward.

*****

Further reading: We've explored the connection between CRPGs and gamebooks in one, two, three postings about Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan. I just blogged about the earlier Fighting Fantasy gamebook adapted to the computer: The Citadel of Chaos.