3 out of 5 rating for Hell's Vengeance Adventure Path
First up, I need to give Paizo due credit for at least trying something new. After twenty Adventure Paths (including the Dungeon ones), it's very easy for them to slip into becoming a bit same-y. And so, by at least trying new things they can inject some new life into the line. And the concept of an evil campaign, while clearly not for everyone, is an interesting one.
Unfortunately, though, I found that Hell's Vengeance was less 'new' than I had originally hoped. Yes, the PCs are evil, and that's new. And, yes, there's some fun to be had from playing with classes and character concepts that would normally be off-limits.
However, a huge amount of the campaign follows a very familiar pattern - the PCs have a patron who gives them various quests to complete. They complete the quests and are rewarded with various signs of favour and then the next set of tougher quests.
It's a shame, and a missed opportunity, IMO. On the other hand, it does give me some hope for future evil campaigns - having dipped their toe, perhaps Paizo may now feel they can take more risks next time out?
In closing, I should briefly note that everything surrounding the path itself was fine - the quality of the books, the artwork, the cartography, and the fiction, articles, and monsters that usually appear in the Adventure Path books were all present and correct, and maintained Paizo's usual high standard. So while these adventures weren't to my taste, I certainly can't fault them on presentation.