The Lonely Troll

This is likely formatted for kids, but can absolutely be enjoyed as an adult, too; the game never talks down to you. I feel like it is also a very excellent introduction to parser-based interactive fiction; definitely better than what I had for an introduction many years ago.

The world layout easily maps in your head, even if you're as terrible about navigation as I am, and the interactions between the puzzles is engaging, but not too complex.

You can read the verbs, easily remember them, and identify where to use them. Honestly, I might have over-thought something at the beginning, but the game was able to hint me in the right direction.

It was a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be, but I feel like this is the perfect size for an introduction.