The basic production of "Tomb of Horrors" is familiar; cardstock cover with interior maps and two booklets; the aforementioned illustrations and a mere 12p adventure booklet, which includes some twenty sample characters for the journey which vary incredibly widely in their abilities (one is a 14th level magic-user, another is a level 4/5 halfling fighter/thief). The small, justified sans-serif writing is dense providing descriptions to the 33 encounter areas but is painfully difficult to read with long rambling paragraphs containing key information hidden away in their murky midst. In comparison, some of the artwork in the useful illustration booklet is often quite good; especially the middle tomb entrance, the four-armed gargoyle, and the charred remains; it effectively gives an additional +1 to the product's style rating, which is pretty poor otherwise.

The basic backstory is that a powerful demi-lich, named Acererak, has filled his crypt with "terrible traps", "strange and ferocious monsters", but also with "treasures both precious and magical", for enticement's sake. Apparently the crypt is "hidden" despite standing out, literally, like a grinning death's head on a 300 yard long hill. OK, so it isn't much of a story, but at least there's some background. The 1998 scenario, Return to the Tomb of Horrors apparently does a much better job at plot development.

"Horrors" has a fairly poor reputation for engaging in exactly the sort of practises that the author rightly condemns in his own game manuals; specifically for being not just tough, but rather for being a "killer dungeon". Much of this criticism is quite justified; the phrase "no saving throw" springs often from the DMs lips when running this dungeon. Serious danger begins with the very first encounters; I can just imagine the moans of the players who signed up for this in a tournament setting and who lost their characters in the first ten minutes of play.

Many of the trap's operations are inadequately described, rationalised and ignore some of the basic rules of the game; which is pretty damn impressive in its own right. The first type annoys the "realists", the second part will annoy "storytellers" and the third part will annoy "gamers". For example; how does the spear trap "refill"? Why does the self-described 'Chapel of Evil' radiate good? Why doesn't Protection from Normal Missiles work against the bolts? None of these questions will ever receive answers; mark of the damage, keep walking and, if you can, don't touching anything.

If thinking in terms of realism, story or even game logic is of little use, worse still some of the deadliest traps in the scenario are governed by blind idiot luck. For example, the PCs open a door. They instantly collapse into a slumber for 2d4 turns (NO SAVING THROW). On each turn, roll a d4; if a 4 comes up the entire party is crushed by a giant stone elephant (NO SAVING THROW). Another magic item cures a cursed blindness or causes instant death, wishes notwhithstanding, depending on what end is used. NO SAVING THROW. An essential plot device requires a save vs magic at -2 or becomes unusuable. As a great reviewer once said of "World of Synnibar", it's like Azathoth designed a roleplaying scenario.

Finally, there's the encounter with Acererak himself. Almost needless to say, he's a very nasty death trap in his own right. There is only a tiny handful of ways that the demi-lich can be harmed, none of which are even hinted at at any stage during the adventure, and a couple which make very little sense whatsoever (for example, there's a minor magic-user spell which does significant damage to the demi-lich.

Whilst the basic plot concept is fair and the setting often quite atmospheric, "Tomb of Horrors" isn't a particularly good scenario overall. Whilst the author describes the module as not a "hack and slay" scenario and for "thinking persons", he's only half-right. The use of thought in this module can actually be dangerous to the PCs, as there is much that make little, none, or even negative sense. There are a few moments where the Horrors has good value; such as the amusing operation of the teleportation devices, a trapped but silenced potential ally, and the programmed illusion; but these are the exception rather than the norm. Mostly however, it serves as a memory test for AD&D1e grognards (including myself) trying to recollect how to avoid being killed, yet again.

NO SAVING THROW!