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Saturday, December 24, 2011

GAMERS’ CHALLENGE By George Ivanoff. Melbourne: Ford Street Publishing, 2011



In Gamers’ Quest, Tark and Zyra, two teenage thieves in the world of computer games, decided, finally, not to play any more, and looked for the way to Designers’ Paradise. Now, they’re back. As they’re no longer part of the game, nobody can see or hear them and they can’t ever go back to their old lives.
Then they discover that they’re not the only game characters who are refusing to play, and so begins the next part of their lives - if they can survive long enough, that is, and avoid being absorbed by the balls of static known as VIs, which are pursuing them and the other non-gamers.
But who is the Ultimate Gamer - and can he help them finally to escape the game? And that man Tee, who can see them and is so helpful - why does he look so familiar?
The only way to find out is to read the book and I’m not telling you more, for fear of spoilers.
I believe this one is even better than the first, unlike to many sequels; there’s plenty of adventure, as well as humour, but the humour is less of the slapstick variety that characterised Gamers’ Quest, and there is more character development, which may be appropriate for computer sprites who aren’t having to act according to the plans of the Designers any more. 
Just adding that before this author got to write for a living, he designed computer web sites, so he knows all about computers,designing and, no doubt, games as well. believe him! Enjoy his tongue-in-cheek presentation of such cliches as chanting monks and absent-minded professors.
Read it if you liked Gillian Rubinstein’s Space Demons and films such as Tron. Or, what-the-heck, just read it! But make sure you read Gamers’ Quest  first. If you haven’t read it yet, check out my review of that book here.

2 comments:

Sabrina said...

It sounds like a fun read! I would love to check it out. But first, time to head to the bookstore for book One!

Sue Bursztynski said...

Go for it, Sabrina! You won't regret it.