Ad Verbum

Runs out of steam slightly near the end, where non-wordplay-y puzzles start to show up. Otherwise very excellent work.

I decided to give this game a try as it seemed right up my alley. Spurred by the positive reviews on sections with alliteration, I was excited for the ways my vocabulary might be challenged, and I'll tell you, those sections are every bit as engaging as the other reviews say. The effort put into the descriptions in these alliteration rooms was very impressive, and they meshed perfectly with the interactive fiction medium. I think it was worth playing just for those sections. Most of the other areas, with the exception of the library, were mostly a bit frustrating for me. There was a particular puzzle with a certain animal that gave me a headache, not for the core of the puzzle, but figuring out how to format the text to enter. In the end I did need to consult the hint sections for multiple puzzles, and part of it was the un-intuitiveness, thus the 4 stars. I would play an entire game of alliterative word puzzles any day though.

Like Infocom's Nord & Bert, Montfort created an essentially plot free game for Americans with a love for wordplay. Also similar to its predecessor, there is a built-in hint system that will ensure you don't get stuck.

While I adore Ad Verbum, its best puzzle is easily the first one you're likely to encounter, that being the compass rose rooms. The descriptions and responses to valiant attempts to escape these rooms are some of the wittiest I've seen in interactive fiction. I was delighted when trying to leave the south room when (Spoiler - click to show)"skedaddle" worked. I also rather enjoyed the library room. Like others have mentioned, I was disappointed that several puzzles have very little to do with classic wordplay (and aren't terribly interesting), and the Latin pig understands less than he should.