I read this gamebook after 'Heart of Ice' by the same author (see my review of that). This book, while perfectly respectable as a gamebook is not in the same league. I played it about eight or nine times until I reached a moderately satisfying conclusion (that is, I didn't get killed.) Unlike Heart of Ice, I did risk boredom with the later replays, though I'm sure there's a bit more in there that I didn't find.

Necklace of Skulls' structure is a bit annoying. It has quite a linear path without much variation. Some skills seem much more useful than others. There are many items in the game, but few of them seem useful in any path. Other items which cannot be purchased are inordinately useful, almost essential (haunch of venison, anyone?). There is one codeword which is so useful at the end of the game it is hard to proceed without it.

The best part of Necklace of Skulls is the path through the Underworld. It is there that the writing is most evocative, fantastical and original, and also most reminiscent of the Mayan theme (which attracted me to the book in the first place). The other parts of the book read more like generic fantasy; there are towns, forests, peasants and wilderness to traverse.

One weakness of the book is that the reader learns almost nothing of the eponymous evil wizard Necklace of Skulls, his motivation or why he has murdered the main character's brother or ransacked a large city. The quest is essentially to travel to that city and fight the wizard. Only the underworld journey distinguishes this from many bland rpg fantasy quests. ( )