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An evil villain has stolen a magic sword and kidnapped the king, but the reader can go on a quest and help rescue him by solving the picture puzzles.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 17, 2022
I’m cleaning out my bookcase and I wanted to give a proper burial to a few books that have been with me for over 20 years across several countries.
Sword Quest and Dragon Quest were two books set in medieval fantasy universes with many “Where’s Waldo” type activities which I duly ignored as I sank into the chaotic illustrations.
Sword Quest was about three RPG-style characters traveling through the realm to rescue the king and get the magical sword back from the evil wizard or some such. I didn’t care about any of that, I would just read the very thin lore in each page (usually about three sentences), look at the illustrations teeming with enemies and NPCs, and wonder about what life was like in those cities, castles and forests in a good-old, regular day when the heroes weren’t around.
Since most of the illustrations put you right into the action instead of giving you a bird’s eye view of the setting, this book didn’t keep me entertained as much as others, but it did quench the childish thirst that would only be fully satiated decades later after I came into contact with The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Baldur’s Gate.
Sword Quest and Dragon Quest were two books set in medieval fantasy universes with many “Where’s Waldo” type activities which I duly ignored as I sank into the chaotic illustrations.
Sword Quest was about three RPG-style characters traveling through the realm to rescue the king and get the magical sword back from the evil wizard or some such. I didn’t care about any of that, I would just read the very thin lore in each page (usually about three sentences), look at the illustrations teeming with enemies and NPCs, and wonder about what life was like in those cities, castles and forests in a good-old, regular day when the heroes weren’t around.
Since most of the illustrations put you right into the action instead of giving you a bird’s eye view of the setting, this book didn’t keep me entertained as much as others, but it did quench the childish thirst that would only be fully satiated decades later after I came into contact with The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Baldur’s Gate.
October 3, 2013
When I was younger, I used to love the Usborne puzzle adventure books. Recently I saw them at P's workplace and told P. She got me them after I got my license so yay!
I loved this book. Just the right amount of challenge. One of the earlier puzzles even involved a little bit of deduction.
I loved this book. Just the right amount of challenge. One of the earlier puzzles even involved a little bit of deduction.
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June 9, 2011A combinatoin of Where's Waldo and I-Spy this fantasy books give an introduction to this genre. Students stay engaged in searching for items and reading the story line.
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November 7, 2015Interesting book. My kids enjoy it.
May 2, 2024
My brothers and I were obsessed with Dragon Quest as kids, so I had to read others in the series. This one isn't as good as Dragon Quest, which is why it didn't get a full 5 stars, but it's still awesome. It has the same structure (scrolls on each page, extra items to find, weird plot) and imaginative scenes. I didn't think the artwork met the same standards, some of the made up stuff seemed phoned in, and there seemed to be several inconsistencies, but I would still recommend this to Dragon Quest fans. I'm so excited to check out the others in the series!
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April 22, 2021This is I Spy for the brave! The illustrations are wonderful, but so cram-packed that they can be dizzying. Although I was skeptical about a paper-version of a fantasy game, this one is easily addictive. See our review.
January 4, 2023
Where's Wally? with a swords and sorcery twist. I had this out of the library when I was a kid, and I remembered it fondly. Rediscovering it twenty-odd years later, it still holds up. The quirky illustrations are fabulous, and even adults will find it satisfying to work through. You need to be eagle-eyed indeed if you hope to find all the things hidden in each scene!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews