OOC - Chronicles of a RPG's Junkie

Following on the success of "Adopt a Player" Scheme and "Fumbler", I thought it would be a cool idea to make a weekly post about games, books and random stuff that influenced many writers and players throughout the years.
I thought it could be a good way of giving a new generation of players and gamers an insight into works and worlds they might not be familiar with or not have come across before.

Today we start with the first title I read and played from the popular and hugely successful Fighting Fantasy Series. These books/games are responsible for my love for all things RPG/Pbem/PbP that would follow me my all life.

So without further ado let me introduce you to:
The Forest of Doom

The Forest of Doom is a single-player adventure gamebook written by Ian Livingstone, and illustrated by Malcolm Barter. Originally published by Puffin Books in 1983, the title is the third gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series, and the first of several to feature the character Yaztromo. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2002. The gamebook was also adapted into a video game.
Gamebooks in general have a limited appeal. Their simplistic RPG mechanics and short stories are definitely not for everyone. But for those of us who grew up on these kinds of stories, and love the idea of “playing” a book, The Forest of Doom is a great adventure. The story, though short, is pretty great, the illustrations are gorgeous, and the imagination on display is remarkable.

"Only the foolhardy or the very brave would willingly risk a journey into Darkwood Forest, where strange, twisting paths wind their way into the eerie depths.
Who knows what monstrous creatures lurk in the threatening shadows, or what deadly adventures await the unwary traveler?
In a desperate race against time, deep within Darkwood, your quest is to find the missing pieces of the legendary Hammer of Stonebridge, which was fashioned by Dwarfs to protect peaceful Stonebridge against its ancient doom!!!!