I'm going to give a review of all of the Delight Games series here. I've finished all of their published books. Some of their series have many books (each book is like a chapter), some only have a few books, and some series have only one book. Many of the series are complete, while some are still ongoing. As a reference, a 6 on the 8-point CYS rating scale would probably correspond to a B on my rating scale.
Wizard's Choice- complete
The Necromancer of the Delight Games fantasy universe called the Ring City Universe (RCU), Wizard's Choice is the original Delight Games offering, and your standard fantasy wizard RPG fare. Enjoyable, if not memorable, with some thrilling twists and turns, and the writer's skill is evident. You play as a mage who teams up with fighters, paladins, and other classes while fighting against everything from standard fantasy enemies such as goblins and skeletons to more boss-like enemies as the series progresses. Each book has a slightly different feel, much like the Homo Perfectus series. You won't be repeating an experience from one book to another, though they do follow many of the same characters. Your player character, like that of all of the Ring City Universe series, goes through much development and transformation throughout the course of the series. My rating: B+
Rogue's Choice- ongoing
If Wizard's Choice is the Necromancer of the Ring City Universe, then Rogue's Choice is the Death Song. You play as an irascible rogue, who prefers to use much more colorful language and gets into much more salacious situations than the Wizard does. You basically see the major events of Wizard's Choice from said rogue's perspective, as well as the rogue's unique own backstory and aims, while making your way through the game using the skills that rogues are particularly known for. You also get to play with a mage and a cleric in your party, among others. The Rogue's gameplay is appropriately more trickery-based than the Wizard's. The artwork in Rogue's Choice is also particularly good, in my opinion. My rating: B+
Demon's Choice- ongoing
Yet another perspective on the Ring City saga, but this time from a villain's eyes. Whereas the Wizard was mostly Good and the Rogue mostly Neutral, the succubus player character in Demon's Choice is mostly Evil, and this manifests itself in a drastically different gameplay style. You'll basically want to figure out how to be as evil as possible in this story. The PC is also the only one in the Ring City saga that is unmistakably sexy, can shapeshift, and has a host of other supernatural powers that the Wizard and Rogue, being humans, don't have, and these unique attributes play greatly into the story as well. Also, lots of violence and sex in this one. Rating: B
Ranger's Choice- ongoing
There's not much to say about Ranger's Choice so far except that you play as yet another common RPG class- the Ranger. There's only one book so far, and it's a refreshing departure from the darkness and gloom of the other RCU series to play as a purely Good character (at least so far) this time. It's also supposed to be a part of the Ring City Universe, but I don't recall seeing any elements from the other stories in this series yet. This story does not have anything that particularly stands out compared to the other series yet. My rating: C
Zombie High- complete
Finally, a completely different setting. Part Sixteen Candles, part Walking Dead, Zombie High has all of the elements that you could want in a zombie story. The player character is a high school girl in a world where zombies have overrun the surface of the world and humanity has taken refuge in underground bunker complexes called sectors. She, like the rest of her sector, are not zombies, but they live in constant fear of the zombies breaking through and infecting everybody, all the while she and her peers try to navigate the already stressful world of high school. A creatively developed world weaving together coming-of-age stories, horror movies, rom-coms, science fiction, action movies, suspense thrillers, and some other genres whose appearances can be considered spoilers, there is something for everyone in this series, and the difficult genre-bending act is done tactfully. The writing can be uneven at parts, as the first two books were written by one author while the rest were written by another, but the uniqueness, juicy characterization, gripping action, and touches of real depth make this one of the most memorable Delight Games. My rating: A
Detective's Choice- complete
A hard-boiled detective story. Lovers of modern adventure will enjoy this one. It has more mature themes- not more explicit, just more grown-up- than the other stories, which seemed written for teenagers, whereas this one feels like it's written for grown-ups. Has the atmosphere of a Dick Tracy movie, but with a dark twist. The writing quality is average. My rating: B
Witch Saga-complete
A teenage girl discovers that she has witch powers and abilities and has to fight supernatural enemies. This series is supernatural fiction in a modern setting. It reads a lot like a conventional teenage coming-of-age story, but with superpowers, a la a Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The writing is not the liveliest, and the characters are a bit on the flatter side out of the Delight Games series. My rating: B-
Oregon Trail-complete
Another coming-of-age story starring a teenage girl, this one is set in the historical fiction setting of the titular game that many of us played and loved as kids. It feels more like an edutainment game than the earlier games on this list. The player character is a scrappy, tough-nosed, takes-no-crap-from-anyone girl who nevertheless cares deeply for her family. A bit simple and easy to beat, but I think that the difficulty and reading level are appropriate for young teens. My rating: B-
Bionic Bikini- incomplete, but no longer being added to
An underrated modern adventure/sci-fi series. You play as a private investigator in a future world where robotics and computers have advanced greatly from now. An original, well-written story in a fully-developed world where the main plot device is the invention of a bikini imbued with superpowers through robotics and circuitry. It's zany, imaginative, and fun. Sadly, it's only two books, as, although the series was originally meant to consist of many more, it does not appear that the author will be writing any more books for this series. My rating: A-
Monster Myths 1: Bigfoot- complete? (it seems like there are plans for more Monster Myths books in the future, but the plot to the first book is already pretty neatly wrapped up, and I don't remember the plot demanding continuation like some other books do)
A conventional monster-hunting adventure where you get yourself into dangerous situations in the outdoors. Reminds me of the Riddle of the Sasquatch, an older game on this site that actually used to be Featured here I think. An above average story, but not particularly memorable. My rating: B
Pirates Never Die-complete
A nice change in setting, as you enter the world of high-seas pirates in this single-book series. The player character is a pirate captain known for her ruthlessness and looting, but secretly deep-down has a heart of gold. An enjoyable adventure that gives off Pirates of the Caribbean vibes. My rating: B+
Deep Space Huntress- complete
Feels like a combination of Star Trek and Star Wars, with a roguish space bounty hunter player character, but all too short in its one single book. A fun little adventure- it's hard to go wrong with such a beloved setting. My rating: B+
Superhero's Choice-complete
Not as good as Homo Perfectus, but still a perfectly fine superhero story. Another single-book series, it doesn't break any new ground in the superhero genre, but will entertain and make for a pleasant read. My rating: B
Ghost Hunter: JJ Jones- complete
A cute little story written for kids. It's short and easy to beat if you're an adult, but still enjoyable as an example of good-quality writing whether you are an adult or a child. My rating: B
Apprentice Musketeers 1- ongoing, but it doesn't seem like anyone is going to finish it
The better of the two children's stories, it is longer and has much more potential for continuation. A group of kids at a reading group (reading the Three Musketeers, if I remember correctly) are mysteriously transformed into the actual musketeers from the books and have to fight and think their way out of danger. My rating: B+
Bonus review: I was able to read the entire Noble Man gamified novel before it became a Premium-only story (I am not a Premium member; I think it used to be available in its entirety for free). It is a story about human trafficking from the perspective of an ex-secret agent who is pretty much the stereotypical action movie good guy. There's some 80's action movie cliches in this story, which was not really written to be interactive fiction, and not written with much technical skill either, but it still felt good to reach the ending for some reason. My rating: B
