Amazon.com Review
The evil Professor Killjoy is plotting to unleash his antilaughing gas on the world. His secret laboratory must be found and his pernicious plan foiled. But beware! Killjoy has done everything in his power to thwart all efforts against him: that merry-go-round over there has live hungry animals! The flume is filled with burning acid instead of water. And those delicious snacks, on closer inspection, look pretty nasty. In each of Patrick Burston's Choose-Your-Challenge gamebooks, the reader is assigned a task, then put in control of the direction the story will take. Each page is a new opportunity to alter the course of destiny--at least for this adventure. Along the way, the brave pathfinder will encounter obstreperous obstacles, maddening mazes, mathematical enigmas, and puzzles to perplex even the most clever clue seekers. The way each problem is solved determines which page to turn to next. Often, the intrepid explorer will reach the brink of success, only to be banished to the beginning again, perhaps this time choosing more adroitly among the plethora of permutations for each story. Alastair Graham's lush illustrations invite the reader to linger, seeking out the secret details and imagining the lively action within. What better way to prepare children for the decision-making responsibilities they will be shouldering later in life? (Ages 4 to 10) --Emilie Coulter