Rating: 
Summary: not as good as the original - but a hard act to follow
Review: Let's face it, for most of us who grew up playing D&D 20 odd years ago, the Keep on the Borderlands was the first adventure we all played. I was really looking forward to this re-write because i'd played the original so many times my PC's knew it back to front: eg, (DM)"you see a pair of shapely legs around the corner" - (PC)"look out, it's that Medusa again!!". So taking your players through this adventure is certainly a surprise for returning players. The background of the keep and recent developments in the area are great additions to the original module. Criticisms are that it is a bit too hard for 1st level players, and the silly Minotaur maze which somehow got excavated within the existing caves without anyone noticing. I just ommited that part entirely. In summary, a good game but not as good as the original.
Rating: 
Summary: Out of place in todays market
Review: So much could happen in a keep on the borderlands, and to the books cridit it describes the keep itself quite well, as well as a few of the local dangers (i.e. bandits and Gnolls). Where this book really falls down though is in the caves (where much of the adventuring will take place), each one is just a poor dungeon crawl, with the main motivation being pest extermination. Despite supposedly being set in Yeomanry, there is no detail whatsoever about the region. Whilst this kind of adventuring might be some peoples cup of tea, if you dont like sterile dungeon hacks then avoid this product.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: This is one of the best modules I've seen and I definetly recomend buying it. It's very detailed and an awesome starting adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Much more developed than original
Review: This module, "Return to the Keep", is very well developed. I have just run my first session in it and I am already having a great deal of fun with the NPCs in the module. There is so much going on at the Keep now, and in the caves. Perfect begining module for any DM. Begining DM's will benefit from the very helpful advice. Old pros will have many well developed plots to place their players in the middle of. Excellent module.
Rating: 
Summary: Days of old returned!
Review: When the Known World was first created it took more than 7 days. Here we are now 30 years later, and it is amazing to look back and see the early days. 'Return' is a job well done. It reflects well on the original setting, and provides a good foundation for new DMs and PCs. Some of us might wish we had such a wealth of information back in 74, but then we couldn't enjoy it as much now if we did. My advise to new DMs is to sit down, some place comfortable with a drink of your choice, and just read through it cover to cover. Have some post it notes with you and mark the areas that you want to go back to later. Don't rush yourself. This is a campaign that both you and your players can enjoy for months to come.
Rating:
Summary: Toadkiller Dawg says: Even Better the Second Time Around
Review: You'd think it would be a tall order, trying to improve on a classic like Keep on the Borderlands, that hoary introductory module that probably introduced the D&D game to more players than any other TSR product before or since. Most sequels suffer in comparison to the original, but happily that is not the case here. The real strength of the old KOTB was that not only did it serve as a fertile seed from which a full-blown campaign could grow, it was also a terrific vehicle for introducing new players to the game and lots of fun even for experienced players starting out a new group of PCs. The new version loses none of that and also adds considerable text aimed at fledgling DMs that explains the various game mechanics, how to handle them in play and brief treatises on the monsters that will be encountered in the module. The advice and ideas presented are quite sound, even an experienced DM is likely to find a useful idea or three. While the terrain and creatures are going to be familiar to anyone that played or DMed the original, Return is set several years later and there have been considerable changes, some obvious, others less so, since the first bands of adventurers ventured into the Caves of Chaos all those years ago. The new order of things is well-thought out and there will probably even be several amusing moments for veterans of the original adventure when they get to see the results of "their" handiwork through the eyes of their current crop of PCs. Like the original, RKOTB is split into two main sections, the Keep itself and the adventuring area, the Caves of Chaos. The Keep is finely detailed with numerous NPCs, most of whom are fully described and who frequently have nifty secrets that the DM can employ as plot devices when desired. The Caves are likewise described in detail with useful notes on what the inhabitants do when the PCs arrive and the kind of steps that they will take after the PCs have shown up a time or two. Some of the lairs are similar to those in the original, others only look that way and some are completely different. Overall, Return could easily provide fuel for many weeks if not months of campaigning as the PCs explore the various caves, get to know the inhabitants of the Keep and investigate the many and varied mysteries of the area. It doesn't matter whether you are introducing the D&D game to a group of neophytes or old hands that have been through the original KOTB a dozen times, they (and you) will still get a solid kick out of Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. Highly recommended.
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