I particularly love the painted models rendered in the reviews for the Freeblades skirmish system, and of the Dark Young (Cthulhu).

This is really such value for money that I have never seen.

I really appreciate a 2-part solo adventure within one work, it feels like 2 separate experiences to enjoy together.

I actually like the linear progression of encounter numbers for once, especially after years of gamebook adventures in which every entry is given a random, forgettable number.

I also find the brown / red descriptive text a pleasantly nostalgic surprise, for I once had a core rulebook printed out in that colour, and that left an indelibly unusual gaming experience that remains almost visceral since.

Once again, the Chronicles of Arax scores with me, by providing a simple but nutritious pampering for the all-too-often overlooked genre of solo story gaming.

I like the idea here, of not just another group of armoured brawlers, but of a group of macho, alpha- male / female types, whose courage is paradoxically born from deep fear, simply because there is nothing more left to lose.

And what overt power their skills yield in the end, from Reckless Charge to Grim Determination.

Minor correction needed: Double-spacing between Skills #4 and #5, after the end of Blood Lust and before the start of Feel No Pain.

I like the simplicity of just using coins to pay for stuff. I find it hard to imagine medieval fantasy folk fussing over their copper, silver and gold, or whether electrum was more on the gold or silver side; a bit like us mulling over cash, notes, Visa, MasterCard, classic or platinum.

There are some oddities though. Does a great sword or a morning star really have to cost more (and seem more valuable) than a war horse, plate mail or long bow? Would that not make them unpopular choices, having priced themselves out of even the selective niche market? I can also understand the rare novelty of dwarven rifles that make them the most expensive item I see, although the price still feels too steep.

I like the idea of being given an amount of gold coins and set free to buy equipment to customise a character, instead of being stuck with fixed sets which quickly become predictable and stale.

The idea of Augmented Fighting fondly calls forth the nostalgia of the AD&D spell Tenser's Transformation, and conjures a vivid image of a frail mage turned ferocious lion.

Spotted errors: Page 1, left column (background): I think you mean "Th_u_s, the Battle Wizards were born." Page 4, Augmented Fighting, 1st paragraph: "… by enhancing their weapons and abilities…"

Simple and practical. I like the original / less common ideas that go into the items, e.g. Infinity Amulet, and the slight twist when translated to game play, e.g. with Cheetah-skin Boots and Jarn's Map.

Solo gaming, as with Chronicles of Arax, can free the player from the complexities and limitations of single-classing technicalities.

Spotted minor error: S'spar: should read 'known for'.

First my thanks to Crystal Star, for giving me the final nudge to discover the world of reviewing here, without which my avoidant procrastination would remain a powerful ward against my doing so.

I'm rating at 5 stars, since the range spans Bad to Good. (If the range was from Poor to Excellent, then 4 stars would be also correct.)

Spotted just one typo error, I think: at the top of page 4, I think the first characteristic at the top of the right column was meant to simply be 'REFLEXES', and not 'ENDURANCE REFLEXES'.

I welcome solo adventuring. Much of roleplaying is typically associated with group gaming, and loners like me often may not get more satisfaction. We actually prefer to enjoy studying the stories in the game adventures, campaigns and settings, over the grind of statistic blocks and game mechanics. A solo system like Chronicles of Arax actually feels more personal to me, since the focus of gaming material really is on that one player (oneself), instead of just one of many players whose characters are classified and categorised for further technical processing of details, i.e. skills, feats, equipment etc.

The unavoidable simplicity of catering to just one player also has the unexpected endearing effect of ordering more freedom of play. For example, abilities gained with advanced adventuring (Page 8, right column, bottom) do not seem confined exclusively to fighter/rogue/mage/priest types; one's character can happily be more generic jack-of-trades. Similarly with Special Skills, Equipment, and Artifacts and Relics.

Inevitably, comparisons are made to gamebook adventures, one of the most popular being Lone Wolf. This nostalgia returns once one starts perusing the Bloodfyre Mountain adventure contained therein. I like the meta-awareness in solo gaming, where as a player and character you know more information about every encounter entry, akin more to game master, than one of several in a party kept in the dark to the machinations of adventure plot. This awareness gives more satisfaction, I believe, towards completing the adventure. You know better what you're in for, why your character ends up that way, and you have, well, more fun.

But then again, the limitations of solo gaming: would simplicity become boring? Will it turn into slavish dependence on subsequent adventure products? Is there viable and effective scope for a solo player to do-it-yourself, doubling back on oneself in a game master role? That is the challenge whose outcome remains to be seen, with a system like Chronicles of Arax.