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Being a regular reader of Dungeon Magazine, I expected "Dungeons of Despair" to be a "best of" type of product. My expectations weren't met, but I can't say that the book was a total bust either.

"Dungeons of Despair" has two strengths going for it. First off it is a series of low-level adventures instead of the standard mid- to upper-level scenarios that TSR produces. Finding balanced and interesting low-level scenarios can be tough, this product supplies some ideas.

The second strength is the variety of adventures that are offered. Of the six included, only one is a dungeon crawl. The rest range from a town based horror scenario to a more light-hearted adventure featuring would be bandits.

There are two downsides to the book. The first is that none of the adventures really shines as a "best of" that would be expected from this book. They are all solid, but not brilliant.

The second downside is the unbelievably sloppy layout of the book. Instead of starting each adventure on its own page, the editor concludes an adventure and immediately starts the next one on what would be the next paragraph. The only clue offered to the reader is a slightly larger and bolded font. Maps from one adventure are found under the start of the following one. The entire book looks squeezed into the 64 pages which is frustrating when you see a repeating graphic dominating the top margin on every page. This isn't what would be expected from as experienced a company as TSR.

Overall this book is better suited to the beginner GM who needs help or ideas on what type of low-level adventures he can run. Advanced GM's probably won't find the book to be all that much use.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Dungeons of Despair
Author: Various Category: game Company/Publisher: TSR, Inc. Line: AD&D Cost: 12.95 Page count: 64 ISBN: 0-7869-1444-0 Capsule Review by Tomas J Skucas on 05/03/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	Being a regular reader of Dungeon Magazine, I expected "Dungeons of Despair" to be a "best of" type of product. My expectations weren't met, but I can't say that the book was a total bust either. "Dungeons of Despair" has two strengths going for it. First off it is a series of low-level adventures instead of the standard mid- to upper-level scenarios that TSR produces. Finding balanced and interesting low-level scenarios can be tough, this product supplies some ideas. The second strength is the variety of adventures that are offered. Of the six included, only one is a dungeon crawl. The rest range from a town based horror scenario to a more light-hearted adventure featuring would be bandits. There are two downsides to the book. The first is that none of the adventures really shines as a "best of" that would be expected from this book. They are all solid, but not brilliant. The second downside is the unbelievably sloppy layout of the book. Instead of starting each adventure on its own page, the editor concludes an adventure and immediately starts the next one on what would be the next paragraph. The only clue offered to the reader is a slightly larger and bolded font. Maps from one adventure are found under the start of the following one. The entire book looks squeezed into the 64 pages which is frustrating when you see a repeating graphic dominating the top margin on every page. This isn't what would be expected from as experienced a company as TSR. Overall this book is better suited to the beginner GM who needs help or ideas on what type of low-level adventures he can run. Advanced GM's probably won't find the book to be all that much use. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 3 (Average)