Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games and dark avenger of evildoers is also the alter ego of the 10th grader Yugi Mutou. Using his considerable gaming skills, Yu-Gi-Oh has taken on a series of deadly adversaries in the "Shadow Games" where the stakes are life and death.

In this volume Yugi has been forced by the super rich creator of the game "Duel Monsters", Maximillion Pegasus, to enter a tournament on a private island. The stakes are high. Pegasus has stolen the soul of Yugi's grandfather.

As if that wasn't enough, Pegasus is plotting to beat Yugi and gain control of Kaiba Corporation. Seto Kaiba has rushed to the island to take part in the tournament in a bid to save his fortune and rescue his little brother Mokuba, trapped by Pegasus. But Yugi must battle his friends and Kaiba in order to win the right to face Pegasus.

The themes of friendship, along with the competitive spirit that demands friendships stand aside, is central to this story, and makes the characters come alive. Yugi's concern for his friends, tempered by his need to save his grandfather, adds a poignancy to the plot that is typically Manga. Strong characters, good storylines, excellent artwork and exotic battles.

In their battles the characters play a role playing card game that is described minutely, and for good reason. This series has spawned a card game, video games and two anime series. In the back of the book is a listing of all the cards that appear, with their characteristics and points. For me, the card games were intriguing and I'm now going to scour the local games shops to see if I can find a set.

While superficially a story of friends battling the odds, this story has enough depth and twists to cater for just about every taste. It has certainly won me as a fan.