Zombocalypse Now

Tin Man Games has been responsible for some amazing examples of non-linear interactive gamebooks - mainly based on Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's iconic Fighting Fantasy series - but the studio's latest offering is something of a deviation from what has gone before.

For starters, you're not some musclebound hero brandishing a legendary magical sword - in Matt Youngmark's Zombocalypse Now, you assume the role of a stuffed rabbit.

This already sets the story apart from other examples of the genre, but the way in which the tale begins makes it even more unique - the rabbit in question is unlucky in love and the first few pages revolve around him sitting in terrified anticipation of the arrival of his online date.

To cut a long story short, the date in question turns out to be a member of the shambling undead, and our rabbit protagonist soon finds himself fighting for his fluffy existence in the middle of a full-scale zombie invasion.

As with any gamebook, you're given choices at various points in the narrative and these take you along different paths through the tale.

You'll meet other characters who will both help and hinder your survival, but there's none of the dice-based combat and stat-keeping seen in the Fighting Fantasy series - which will come as a blessing or a curse, depending on how involved you want your gamebooks to be.

Another big difference is the level of humour - Zombocalypse Now unashamedly aims for your funny bone at every given opportunity, and practically every page has a joke on it or an amusing turn of phrase.

Not every quip is laugh-out-loud - in fact, there are some moments when you're more likely to groan than giggle - but the book scores more often than it misses, and the chuckles do at least make it unique when compared to other examples.

Zombocalypse Now also features more endings than you usually find in this kind of adventure - it's not uncommon to discover that some of the potential read-throughs last only a few minutes, but there are so many to find that this brevity isn't a massive issue. In-game achievements also add to the replayability, tempting you to find every possible route through the story.

The humour might not always hit the mark, and the small number of eye-catching illustrations could disappoint seasoned gamebook addicts, but Zombocalypse Now is a welcome change of pace for Tin Man Games.