The original FF is back!

Lets go back a few years, to 1982. Long before the world became hooked on the wonders of handheld consoles, portable gaming options were limited. You could play tabletop football, one of the many LCD games, or engage yourself in a little Fighting Fantasy. For those unfortunate enough to be denied that last option, Fighting Fantasy was a series of books written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. Set in a well-defined fantasy world, they challenged readers with choose-your-own-adventure-style choices, enemies to fight (using dice), and items to collect.

Before you stop reading, convinced that I must have run out of video game news to discuss, let me tell you that this is video game news. Using the wonders of 27 years of technological advances, Steve and Ian's first adventure, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, will soon be making it's way back into people's pockets, this time as a Nintendo DS game! Developed by Canada's Big Blue Bubble Games and published by Aspyr, TWoFM will be a first person RPG that takes place in an old Dwarven keep within the Firetop Mountain. Players must battle their way though, defeating foes and making decisions about magic, abilities, and character development. As you do in RPGs.

What could set this particular title apart from the slew of role playing games already available is it's well-established fantasy world, with creatures and places that carry over from one book to the next. And I'm not just talking about obvious creatures, such as orcs and elves, but rather hundreds of imaginative and varied monsters, gathered from and inspired by many classic stories and legends. This is best shown in Out of the Pit, an illustrated Fighting Fantasy bestiary released in 1985.

Of course, some readers may remember that this isn't the first book in the series to receive an electronic adaptation. Those of us unfortunate enough to play the PS1 title, Deathtrap Dungeon, may understand why it's been 11 years since anyone attempted to bring Fighting Fantasy to home console! I just hope it's been long enough that we can re-start the franchise without fear of horrible flashbacks. Stupid camera!! Go where I want!! Oops, sorry about that. I guess it hasn't been quite long enough.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is currently scheduled for release this holiday season. Further details, such as whether or not it will feature a keep-your-finger-in-the-page option, are yet to be revealed.