The Grumpy Cricket (And Other Enormous Creatures)

The Grumpy Cricket is a lighthearted IF game. It's designed to be friendly for a first-time player of interactive fiction. There's no way to lose the game or to die. There is an in-game hint system (accessed by typing HINT) that provides context-sensitive hints any time. Clues are also included in various descriptions.

I wrote it in 2023 for my kids, which then ranged in age from 6 to 17. That's a pretty wide age range; I've included splashes of humor throughout that got all three of my kids laughing.

For younger kids, it can be a fun activity to do with your children.

Besides the main quest, there is also an implicit side game: figuring out what kind of creature you are playing.

It leans a bit towards being heavier on prose with the idea of being familiar to children used to reading books.