Gameplayers

The acceptable face of adventure game books - five teenagers, John, Sean, Jeff, Raymond and Katie, whose hobby is fantasy gaming and whose personal lives reflect the adventures and characters of their game. The two levels operate throughout the book with credibility and the tensions existing between the characters of the game mirror those apparent between the players who manipulate them. The parallels are never laboured but often illuminating - John's growing confidence within the game enables him to emerge, in real life, from behind the character of daring, courageous Jan Wildblood and live his life more positively. This book would particularly appeal to second and third-year boys with a fair degree of staying power - the character of Katie probably ensures female readership, too.