History Literature / GoldenDragonFantasyGamebooks

* LaserGuidedKarma: Killing the old witch doctor you took as hostage in ''Temple of Flame''? It will NOT end well for you.

* KnightErrant: In ''Castle of Lost Souls'', you must find a piece of armor from a noble knight. [[AntiHero You can steal the piece from an armor collector]] or pry it from the cold dead fingers of a brave knight you've just slain. Of course, the easiest and most honest way is to simply ask the noble knight, who gladly hands over a piece of his armor when he hears about your quest to slay a demon.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: ''Curse of the Pharaoh'' takes place in a fantasy land that is, obviously, very similar to ancient Egypt.

* AntiMagic: The idol of the god you've been seeking in ''The Temple of Flame'' acts like this, suppressing the effects of your magical gear in his presence. Thing is, the villain you've been pursuing for the whole book is an EvilSorcerer whose magic gets suppressed too, and you hurl yourself at him, realizing this is the best shot you'll possibly get.

* AnAdventurerIsYou: The series is somewhat unique for the time by actively encouraging the reader to imagine themselves as a specific character they come up with, even though this has no real effect on gameplay. The American versions went a step further with [[KidHero kids wearing armor and wielding swords on the covers]]. Subverted in a few of the books, sadly, which decide your character's background for you.

* ''Curse of the Pharaohs''

* CoolSword: Book 2 and Book 4 have you starting from the very beginning with an enchanted sword of sorts: in the former is a magical broadsword with a blue aura, in the latter a cool, black sword.

* GuideDangIt: Finding items can be tough and failure to do so often results in instant death at key points.
** A more specific example is you ''cannot'' skip the introduction story parts to jump straight into the adventure, because in several that's where you're given an extremely important item.

* SchmuckBait: In ''The Lord of Shadow Keep'', right before the FinalBoss, a ghostly woman appears and offers you a gauntlet of armor in order to face Darkrobe. [[spoiler: It actually weakens you if you fall for it.]]

** In ''Crypt of the Vampire'', you can find a blue glowing magic sword. Defeat the [[FinalBoss vampire lord]] with it and he'll not rise again. Otherwise, you must find other means to kill him for good. Has no actual combat bonus, though.

** In ''The Temple of Flame'', right at the beginning, you will meet a monkey being threatened by a snake. Help it, you will NOT regret it.

* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Averted. Part of the reason this series is somewhat known for its difficulty is the relative scarcity of sources of healing.

* SummonMagic: The most powerful spells the player's characters has in ''The Eye of the Dragon'' involve conjuring up powerful creatures to fight in the wizard's place.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: In ''Crypt of the Vampire'', you can find a blue glowing magic sword. Defeat the [[FinalBoss vampire lord]] with it and he'll not rise again. Otherwise, you must find other means to kill him for good. Has no actual combat bonus, though.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: In ''Crypt of the Vampire'', there's a part where you start to sink on the floor. Any attempt to flee will result in death, while standing still will safely bring you to another level.

* OlderThanTheyLook: HotGipsyWoman Gayl is implied to be that thanks to BloodMagic in the last book.

* KnightErrant: In ''Castle of Lost Souls'', you must find a piece of armor from a noble knight. [[AntiHero You can steal the piece from an armor collector]] or pry it from the cold dead fingers of a brave knight you've just slain. Of course, the easiest and most honest way is to simply ask the noble knight, who gladly hands over a piece of his armor.

* AnAdventurerIsYou: The series is unique for encouraging the reader to imagine themselves as a specific character they come up with themselves, even though this has no real effect on gameplay. The American versions went a step further with [[KidHero kids wearing armor and wielding swords on the covers]]. Subverted in a few of the books, sadly, which decide your character's background for you.

* GottaCatchEmAll: ''Castle of Lost Souls'' has you hunting for a collection of magic items right off the bat, though subverted a little as [[PlotCouponThatDoesSomething each has a practical use]] rather than them being the parts of a mystic doohickey or some such.

* DoorToBefore: Upon successfully surviving the ''Curse of the Pharaoh'', part of the outer wall of the room will crumble to reveal that you're in the tip of the Pyramid and that the "hill" you saw was actually the sand-covered Pyramid, allowing you to leave unharmed.

** In the first book, taking a nap in a bedroom... inside a manor inhabited by a vampire. WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong?

** In the first book, taking a nap in a bedroom... inside a manor inhabited by a vampire. WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong