Cover of the first edition
|
|
Author | Steve Jackson |
---|---|
Illustrator | Russ Nicholson and Malcolm Barter |
Cover artist |
|
Series |
Fighting Fantasy
|
Genre | Fantasy Location: Allansia, Titan |
Publication date
|
|
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
ISBN | (Puffin) (Wizard) |
Preceded by | The Warlock of Firetop Mountain |
Followed by | The Forest of Doom |
The Citadel of Chaos is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by Russ Nicholson. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1983, the title is the second gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002. The gamebook was also adapted into a video game.
The Citadel of Chaos is a fantasy scenario in which the magician hero must negotiate the trap-filled castle of the evil wizard Balthus Dire. The player takes the role of an adventurer on a quest to find and stop the powerful magician Balthus Dire. In order to be able to confront Dire, the player must navigate the Citadel, avoiding monsters while also collecting several artifacts that will allow passage past guardians to the villain's inner sanctum.
Marcus L. Rowland reviewed The Citadel of Chaos for the June 1983 issue of White Dwarf, rating the title a 9 out of a possible 10. Rowland called The Citadel of Chaos "an exciting adventure", and noted that the book's introduction of magic as an extra characteristic "adds a new range of decisions to encounters".
Karen L. Miller, staff writer at Reading Eagle, stated that the title featured "an elaborate combat system with adventure score sheets. This way you read and at the same time...conquer the dreaded sorcerer at the heart of The Citadel of Chaos".
A video game based on the book was released by Puffin Books for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 in 1984.
In 2010, an electronic version of the title was released for the iPhone and iPad by Big Blue Bubble.When Big Blue Bubble later lost the license, all its apps were withdrawn.