The game's protagonist is a castaway who, after years of drifting through space in hibernation, is saved by the titular Ring Carvers. At the beginning of the game, the reader is randomly assigned one of nine identities - each with a different story that does not affect the game, and statistics that do affect the game. The characters describe three features - Body, which determines fitness and motor coordination, Mind, which defines broadly understood mental efficiency, and Ego, which determines the ability to cooperate with computer networks, take control of cybernetic devices, etc. We can improve skills by distributing additional points between them. Tests are performed by rolling a ten-sided die, or - as the author suggests - opening the book to a random page (alternating left and right) and checking the ones digit. This mechanism, ingenious in its simplicity, saves a lot of time that would otherwise have to be spent rolling dice or playing with a table of random numbers. There is no combat system present in many games, but thanks to this the game is fast and the constant tests do not disrupt the rhythm of the story. In terms of mechanics, Ring Carvers looks amazing in my opinion.

Once we have filled out our character sheet, we can delve into the story again. Our main goal is to regain our freedom. Our hosts, an order that creates sculptures in planetary rings, will only let us out if we complete a dangerous mission. Namely, we have to find out what happened in one of the order's outposts, which has not been giving any sign of life for some time. Willingly or unwillingly, we set off on the road to the Transkolos base.

In order to solve the puzzle, the player can freely explore the deserted base. There is only one catch - a limited supply of oxygen. We often have to decide whether it is worth visiting a given place or how much time to spend searching a room. Excessive delay and ill-considered decisions can lead to death by suffocation. Fortunately, the base is not too large and finding the right clue should not take anyone long. The game can therefore be completed very quickly, but this fact is compensated by several alternative endings and the possibility of playing a different character and distributing trait points differently.

The gamebook is a pleasure to read. Much of this is due to the gripping story and the author's craft.

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