This book took me back to when my children were little. I used to love reading these books when my children would check them out from the library and this one, was no exception. I choose my first path through the book, based on what I’d want to do and then, I went back and reread the book a few times, choosing paths that were totally different. I was Harry Houdini, a magician with big dreams!

All paths in the book begin in America, in the year 1899. Working as a traveling sideshow, you like to call yourself the “The King of the Cuffs,” as you’re able to outwit any handcuff that anyone tries to attach to you. This of course, angers the police but you’re starting to make a name for yourself, as people are beginning to notice you. Now in Chicago, as a crowd gathers around, you’re getting the attention that you don’t want. The police have arrested you, placed you in chains, and put you in a cell. Can their charges be legitimate? You’ve never attempted a cell break before, yet it could be possible. You receive a sign just before the lieutenant rushes into your cell to offer you a deal.

It’s time now for the first decision in this book: does Harry take the deal that was offered to him or does Harry decide to use the omen that he received and not take the lieutenant’s deal? What the reader chooses will direct their path to the next section to read and set their course for this book.

This book is based on a true story and there’s an article about Harry at the back of the book. I enjoyed my adventures as I traveled through the book; some were short-lived and I did have one very long journey. I did learn a few things about this man as I read and having the opportunity to choose the storyline is a very fun way to read a story. 4.5 stars

I've had this for a while but only just started playing it. And yes, you can find some of Kate Beaton's artwork  in it, but also artwork by a bunch of other people. It's a "choose your own adventure" version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which you can either play as Hamlet, Hamlet's father, or Ophelia. Nearly every ending presents you with a unique piece of artwork, and there are lots of endings.

At the moment, I've mostly just played as Ophelia, who is utterly awesome. She can solve Hamlet's problems logically and boringly, or she can go full-on murder queen. It took me three tries to manage it, but it's quite possible for her to go on a killing spree that results in the death of literally every character in Hamlet. Sometimes things get a little surreal too. In my longest playthrough, Ophelia and Hamlet teamed up to kill Claudius. After they gifted Claudius with a "choose your own adventure" book with a plot eerily similar to Claudius's own life, Ophelia briefly became Claudius, who became Ophelia just at things were starting to look bad for him, who decided to skip out on this whole "Hamlet's acting weird" thing and take a vacation. The game briefly (very briefly) became a dating sim, but then Ophelia sprang into action again to take on some terrorists and live happily ever after all on her own.

My main complaint at the moment is that although the game has "checkpoints" (decision points you can go back to and replay, so you can try other options), you can't create your own, so you end up having to replay certain chunks of the game a lot. The "skip" button helps, but it's still annoying.

This also available in actual book form (I'm not sure which came first), for those who'd prefer that.

If my bookshelves weren't already overflowing with impulse buys, this would probably be in my shopping cart, if only to see how many of the endings involve your own death or the deaths of all or most of your friends and comrades. Even a "good" ending in the Attack on Titan world would still suck to some degree.

*turns on Grimlock signal*

Read this. The format is a little annoying - lots of clickable links and a "choose your own adventure" format (I've encountered two endings, one good and one "meh"). Still, it's so cute. Teabot is adorably tea-obsessed and cares very much about its tea-loving humans.

It's a "choose your own adventure" book in which you're given the chance to either clean beakers with Beatram, your beloved beaker sponge, or do science. I've been through it once, opted to become a biologist, and helped a super-intelligent mouse begin his revolution.