Ratings and Reviews by Sorrel

The Devil Made Me Do It places you in the role of the devil, who tries to tempt two little kids into going into a forbidden yard. It's refreshing to play an evil character once in a while and coming up with a plan to corrupt the children is quite interesting.

The writing is error-free and the descriptions are short and to the point. The puzzle itself depends a lot on timing, which is its only downfall. In order to understand how to time your actions, you really have to get into the devil's head and that can be a little hard at first.

The story itself is original and whimsical, making for a fun gaming experience. There are some fun "hidden" commands that will make you chuckle if you discover them. For a SpeedIF, this game is definitely a good one.

The Lighthouse has a moody, dark atmosphere, with a few plot surprises that might make you shiver a little if you've been reading carefully. You start of as a tourist, heading to see the famous lighthouse in the midst of a heavy rain, with a broken arm, and a hill to climb. The plot itself isn't very original. The scenario of tourists stumbling onto dark secrets in creepy buildings has been done before. However, the author does put a new spin on it. There are some poignantly scary seems that have been written well.

Unfortunately, the puzzles (if you could call them that) are quite easy. There are no codes to crack, no mazes to explore, no and no hidden doors to find. The procedure is routine and the only interesting thing about the "puzzles" is manipulating your actions to find an undiscovered ending. There are multiple endings you can reach, but (from what I've seen) only one can be considered moderately happy.

I wasn't quite sure whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. In the end, I settled for 3. The writing is good, but then again, if I only wanted good writing I could have read a book. I want some challenge out of my IF games and I didn't get it here. (Of course, I might be missing some important piece of information that prevented me from reaching another step of the game, but I doubt it.)

So, if you're looking for a short, atmospheric game that will put you in a dark, slightly paranoid mood, then play The Lighthouse. However, if you're looking for challenging puzzle games, move on.

I rarely enjoy Speed Ifs, but I must admit that this one was pretty good. Garden of the Dragon has an interesting little story that is implemented well. I found no grammar or spelling mistakes and that’s a big plus for a Speed IF game. The puzzle is very easy, almost too easy in my opinion. This game isn’t laugh-out-loud funny like some of the author’s other games, but it’s witty and entertaining. I definitely recommend it if you have a few minutes to spare.

The Djinni Chronicles creates an other-worldly atmosphere in which you must think and act like a djinni. The plot is original and implemented very well. The game makes you feel as if you’re playing out a small episode in a large world filled with magical djinni lore.

The puzzles are logical and well-clued. After completing certain puzzles I felt a pang of satisfaction that encouraged me to continue with the game. The puzzles serve to immerse the player deeper in the djinni’s world. Most, if not all puzzles, use certain concepts that are unique to this game. For example: common actions like “take an apple” are replaced with channeling the apple’s essence into your own. That essence is known as Purpose throughout the game. Purpose is an interesting concept that you will have to grasp in order to fully immerse yourself in the djinni’s world. Fortunately, the concept is well introduced and indirectly explained (as are other new concepts in the game).

The game is very well written, with the descriptions being neither too long nor too short. The characters of the three djinni are painted well with just a few sentences.

The author did a superb job with this game. It’s unique, well written, player-friendly, and contains puzzles that are just the right level of difficulty. I will definitely be replaying this game in the future.

I lost track of time as I played Snowquet and that’s not something that happens to me often. The writing flows effortlessly, drawing the player in right away. The descriptions are beautifully written, without being unnecessarily long. I found the dream sequence wonderfully surreal, to the point that I no longer felt like I was typing away on a computer.

The puzzles were well-clued and didn’t keep me guessing for too long. When I did have to resort to using the built-in hints, I found them to be well-paced, giving me the perfect nudge in the right direction.

A big part of Snowquest is exploration of the environment. There are times in the game when only very close examination of your surroundings will reveal what must be done next.

The plot seems rather straightforward at first, but there are definitely twists up ahead. At the first of those twists, I found myself staring at my computer screen for a few seconds, trying to take in the new development. The most interesting thing about Snowquest is how well the storyline comes together in the end. Even all the minor details that seemed out of place before fit it nicely in the last few scenes.

Snowquest is a must-play for everyone, whether you’re just discovering IF or have been playing it for a long time.

Gleaming the Verb is not one of those deep, immersive IFs that will take your breath away. It is however, a very interesting way to spend ten minutes. The game is set in a bare room. You are naked and carrying absolutely nothing, your only companion in the room is a cube. And so, the puzzle begins. There is only one puzzle and it’s rather short. Once I understood the mechanics behind it, I was able to solve it relatively quickly.

I wouldn’t call Gleaming the Verb a full-fledged IF. It’s more like a brain teaser set in interactive fiction format. The idea behind the puzzle is quite clever and you will definitely feel a pang of satisfaction at completing it. I would love to see more games of this kind from the author in the future.