Spider-Man: Surprize Ink Game Book (Giddy-Up, 2010)
Background
This is another "Surprize Ink Game Book" from the guys at Giddy-Up.
It's not really a Surprize that they've Inked up this Game Book. They did a Spider-Man: Wow Paper Magic Pad (Giddy-Up!) in 2005, then followed it up in 2007 with a set of three more - Spider-Man: Surprize Ink Game Book 1 (Giddy-Up), Spider-Man: Surprize Ink Game Book 2 (Giddy-Up) and Spider-Man: Surprize Ink Game Book 3 (Giddy-Up). This 2010 version is a revival of a successful format.
Story Details
Spider-Man: Surprize Ink Game Book (Giddy-Up, 2010)
| Publisher: | Elmer's Products, Inc. |
The original 2007 books were produced in a crazy "tall & skinny" format that reached nearly 14" in height. This updated version is far more practical, with a 6" x 10" cardboard backing holding a 6" x 7.5" activity book.
The "Game Book" is actually a top-mounted "Game Pad" with 24 single-sided black and white sheets. Each sheet is printed with a mix of regular black ink, plus some secret hidden ink which appears only when you use the attacked special marker pen.
The pages consist of puzzles, mazes, and word and number games. There's quite a bit of creativity gone into the games, including random number generators (pick a box and highlight the hidden number with the pen).
General Comments
I'm really impressed by the effort that has gone into the original content for this book. With only 24 pages, each and every page needs to count for something. The creative team have certainly done their best to make good use of the hidden ink format. Full marks for that.
I'm not sure what the "list price" was for this game book — I picked up my copy on eBay, but haven't seen any other copy on Amazon or eBay since then. It seems to be a bit of a rare beast.
Overall Rating 
This is a well-designed and well-created product. It's attractive and sturdy, with clean white pages and interesting, original content.
The only down side is the relatively low page count. But on pure quality, I have to give it a solid four webs.
Footnote
Did ya know Giddy-Up is based in Ann Arbor, my favourite place to hang out in the U.S.A.!