The main text of each gamebook does not progress in a linear fashion, but rather is divided into a series of numbered sections (usually 400,[1] though a few are shorter or longer).

All Fighting Fantasy gamebooks are illustrated, including full-page pieces and smaller, repeated images scattered throughout the book as breaks or space fillers between sections.

Regular contributors (excluding Scholastic editions) included Les Edwards, Terry Oakes, Russ Nicholson, Leo Hartas, Ian Miller, John Blanche, Martin McKenna, and Iain McCaig.

Each Fighting Fantasy gamebook requires the reader to create their character, randomly assigning scores to three statistics (skill, stamina, and luck).

Following the success of this title,[9] Jackson and Livingstone began writing individually to create additional Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

There were also several supplemental books produced that provided more information about the Fighting Fantasy universe, including a comprehensive bestiary of monsters and a sample adventure.

Although the Fighting Fantasy titles had successful sales[9][12] the increasing dominance of video games in the 1990s caused a gradual decline.

In 2002, Wizard Books acquired the rights to the Fighting Fantasy series and reprinted many of the original titles in a revised order (initially only the gamebooks actually written by Jackson and/or Livingstone were published), starting with The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

Wizard Books then began again with a new series of reprints in 2009, again featuring a different cover art style, and again starting with The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

These books were physically larger than prior releases, being produced in B-format (like the original Advanced Fighting Fantasy volumes).

A new Fighting Fantasy book by Livingstone, The Port of Peril, was published in August 2017 by Scholastic in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the series.

[22] In October 2020, two new titles were published, including a new adventure entitled Crystal of Storms, the first in the series by a female author, Rhianna Pratchett.

[23][24] In September 2022, two more new titles were published, one by Steve Jackson (Secrets of Salamonis) and one by Ian Livingstone (Shadow of the Giants), in celebration of the series' 40th anniversary.

[citation needed] In October 2003, iBooks of New York began republishing the books, beginning with the first two (The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and The Citadel of Chaos).

[29][30] Warlock magazine (first published by Puffin Books and later Games Workshop) provided additional information on the Fighting Fantasy universe, and each issue featured a short gamebook adventure, new rules, monsters, reviews and comic strips.

Between 1989 and 1994, seven novels were published based on Fighting Fantasy, written by Steve Jackson, Marc Gascoigne, Ian Livingstone, and Carl Sargent.

and Rebel Planet) for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, BBC, and Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1984) and Deathtrap Dungeon for the PC and PlayStation by Eidos Interactive (1998).

[40] On 5 December 2006, it was announced that Jackson and Livingstone were planning to release a new series of handheld games based on Fighting Fantasy for Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP.

[41] The first of these, Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, was released for the DS in the United States on 25 November 2009, and for the Apple iPhone and iPod in early January 2010.

[43] Australian game developers Tin Man Games have since published several iOS and Android versions of Fighting Fantasy books, including Blood of the Zombies, House of Hell, Forest of Doom, Island of the Lizard King and Starship Traveller,[44] and an iOS version of the first part of the Sorcery!

[21] Fighting Fantasy was ranked 47th in the 1996 reader poll of Arcane magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time.

"[47] The books were published with illustrations from Games Workshop which, though something Puffin was resistant to accept, Ian Livingstone credits as part of the series' success.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and the Fighting Fantasy series proved to be a massive on-ramp for bringing new players into the RPG hobby, particularly in the British commonwealth ... Firetop Mountain alone was reprinted five times in 1982, ten times in 1983, and seven more in 1984, eventually selling well over two million copies and inspiring a popular board game to boot.