My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this new gamebook that puts you in the body of an investigator in the town of Arkham, where evil and madness are just one bad page flip away.

Arkham, Massachusetts is a town where people where many different garbs. One for example can be a waitress with a secret, a boxer out for vengeance, or reporter looking for a story. Some might even be pretending to be human. Arkham is a strange town, full of smells, and noises that nothing living could emit or utter. Where residents need a particular set of skills to keep their health and their will power. A place where the thin line between sanity and madness is a dice role away. The Darkness Over Arkham:An Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook by author and game designer Jonathan Green is a book that leaves the story up to the reader, with a little help from some dice, and a whole lot of luck.

One is either working, getting story ideas, or even better eating at the local diner, when two other diners draw attention to themselves with the loudness of their argument. And strange eating habits. The couple, older and looking scholarly leave, and the your keen eyes spot a notebook on the floor. One can follow the couple, losing them in the busy streets of Arkham, or one can look inside and see the book is loaded with strange writing and sketches. Maybe the strange words can lead to a story, or a magical possibilities, even a chance at fighting the darkness that fills Arkham. Maybe one should have the notebooks looked at. Since there is a name inside the notebook, maybe a trip to the university is in order to return piece of found property. Each decision is the readers and can lead the seeker on many paths. One can be accused of muder. Attacked by cults. Or far, far worse. Even by chance, a decision could be made just to go home, and though one knows something is happening, something evil, for this investigator the case is closed.

A fun adventure for readers needing only paper, pen, dice, and imagination. Oh, a lot of luck. Those unfamiliar with gamebooks will enjoy the introduction which does a far better job than I telling one what to do. This is sort of like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story, with dice, and a love more creatures from beyond. Readers can be three different investigators that come with the book or download more from the website, along with character sheets that tell about the character, and the stats needed to play. Each part is numbered and as one reads, rolls dice and flips pages, readers are told at the end what chapter to flip too. The story is good, spooky in places, violent in others, and all fun. One does have to pay attention as questions are asked of readers that don't appear in the text, and some addition might have to be done. So make that a full pad of paper.

Recommended for people going on trips, who like the world of Arkham, or really enjoy playing gamebooks. The story is good, the plot really moves, and there are plenty of different ways to do things for a bit of replayability.

The Darkness Over Arkham is a gamebook where you try to solve the mystery behind a deceased renowned professor, but as you unravel the mystery you find out there's something far more sinister going on.

I haven't read a gamebook since I was a kid so this was a lot of fun! This one involved solving puzzles, character sheets, and dice to determine your fate. I loved that the book included pre-made and blank character sheets, so you can make your experience different every time.

This was also my first introduction to Arkham Horror and I enjoyed the vibe of it. It's very Lovecraftian and atmospheric. The storyline was really engaging; I ended up playing a bunch of times and I loved that each of my endings was a grim one.

The Darkness Over Arkham was such a cool experience, I highly recommend reading this when it comes out in May!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for the gifted copy!

Not a format I would wholly expect, but a fun exercise. Could be useful for someone curious about how Call of Cthulhu plays.

You are an Arkham Investigator – your choices will decide the outcome of a terrible murder mystery and a sinister plot threatening Arkham ­– in this brand new gamebook adventure in the world of Arkham HorrorWhen a renowned professor is found dead, his body melted, it’s up to the Investigators of Arkham to discover what occult horrors were behind his fate. Pick your path, Investigator, and collect allies along the way to hunt down his killer before they strike again. However, Arkham is full of mysteries, with many wishing to keep the truth buried, and who are hungry to usher in a new era full of death and darkness to devour the world you know it. Can you stop it before it is too late?

This was my first taste of the world of Arkham. It may have not been the best choice being as this was one of those "choose your own adventure" books. It reminded me of those old goosebumps books where you get to decide the outcome of your own story. There were some cool moments here, but ultimately this felt a little too YA for me, with this probably being better suited for younger audiences.