iHero: Tomb Runner by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore

9/10

As a decide your own destiny book, Tomb Runner by the two Steves has the main hero, which doesn't have a name and according to the story, is the reader, you. Your character is a treasure hunter who is hired to find the hidden tomb of Genghis Khan. You are one of the leading treasure hunters in the world and have a talent for archaeology that others can't match, nor can they match your aptitude for the martial arts.

The character has been to many far off locations and found lots of ancient and valuable objects that make him proud of his accomplishments. At the moment the character is trying to find the place of Blackbeard's treasure, studying a map when Peters the butler enters and says there is an important man who wants an audience. It's J. P. Greenback Jnr, a collector from Dallas, Texas. He looks the spitting image of J. R. Ewing from TV series Dallas. The first four pages serve as an introduction to the story, the rest are up to the reader.

Readers may remember the 80's Fighting Fantasy series of books by Ian Livingstone - these are the manga illustrated versions of them where each character goes on a quest into certain peril, and on each page the reader decides one of two or three options that may be the right one, or maybe not. There are several in the series by other authors too; Dragon Slayer, Strike Force, Death or Glory, Code Mission, Gorgon's Cave, Viking Blood, Space Rescue, Save the Empire and Pirate Gold.

The novel is cleverly written and no matter what you decide at first, you will always be sent back where you started from, so it will take a few times to get through the book. The reader will come up against all kinds of enemies, and even Greenback himself at points in the story, but there are too many supposed guides the reader can't possibly trust.