The Choose Your Own Adventure Books You Loved as a Kid Have Now Inspired Board Games

In the late 1960s, a lawyer named Edward Packard started giving his children options on the best way to conclude his bedtime stories. Before the advent of interactive computer games, the kids thought plotting their own course was a thrill. Packard later wrote Sugarcane Island, which allowed the reader to choose multiple endings. And with collaborator R.A. Montgomery, the Choose Your Own Adventure book series was officially launched in 1979. The series spawned hundreds of titles, each allowing the reader to take different narrative turns.

Now, the brand is being extended to board games. Z-Man Games has released two games based on the series, Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger and Choose Your Own Adventure: War With the Evil Power Master.

Like the books, the games are meant to be a solo entertainment experience, though players can team up in a cooperative effort. Participants use cards and a game board to maneuver around an environment dripping with threats. In House of Danger, you’re tasked with solving the mystery of the missing owner of Marsden Mansion. In War With the Evil Power Master, a galactic power struggle looms in the Lacoonian System. To resolve the conflict, you’ll need to locate the Evil Power Master.

The games are suitable for ages 10 and up. You can find House of Danger ($15) and War With the Evil Power Master ($23) on Amazon.