Something about the writing style in Avatar of the Wolf [$3.99] almost immediately put me off. Most of the well-written gamebooks from Choice of Games have an almost velvety tone to their prose, gently massaging your brain and doing their best to make it comfortable. Avatar of the Wolf, by comparison, is thorny. The words feel shorter, less comfortable to read, and above all, aggressive. It's even disorienting at times. The way this story is written does as much to set the tone as the meaning of the words the writer chooses. It was jarring to try to slide into the main character. Yet it turns out to be precisely the atmosphere this story needs. Avatar of the Wolf isn't a fluffy tale of adventure that will appeal broadly, but give it time to spin its yarn and you might find yourself unable to put it down. The beginning of the story is particularly confusing, as you have to learn about the world your character inhabits, what has happened, and set up your character's details all at once. The game takes place in a world where a pantheon of gods has ruled quite directly over humanity for some time, even go so far as to inhabit certain individuals with part of their divine essence. Your character is one such person, an avatar of the Wolf. Oh hey, there's the title. While you have to do Wolf's bidding, you receive great power in exchange. There's just one problem: Wolf has gone missing, and you're the only one capable of finding out just what happened.
You'll end up brushing up ag...