Favorite Games

Recommendations by Ron Newcomb (Seattle)

Quality games friendly to those of us new to Interactive Fiction and who would have little patience with the text adventures of old.

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1. Bronze
by Emily Short
(2006)
Average member rating: (286 ratings)

Ron Newcomb says:

The first I-F I ever played to completion. You're Beauty, from Beauty and the Beast, and after a week-long "vacation" to visit your old family, you return to the castle to find something amiss.
Puzzles have multiple solutions, hints are built-in, basic commands are listed for those completely new to I-F, the writing is solid, a moderately easy difficulty rating, and produces a strong sense of place. Commands such as GO TO remove a lot of the tedium of the old-school games.

2. Lord Bellwater's Secret
by Sam Gordon
(2007)
Average member rating: (70 ratings)

Ron Newcomb says:

Something of a gold standard when it comes to navigation; navigation is so easy it's a wonder why I-F doesn't work this way by default. The writing is solid with good background material, and the puzzles are easy to moderate.

3. Violet
by Jeremy Freese
(2008)
Average member rating: (382 ratings)

Ron Newcomb says:

One character to narrate them all. Written by a storyteller -- as opposed to a literary author -- you won't notice it's a one-room puzzle game until it's too late.

4. Snack Time!
by Hardy the Bulldog and Renee Choba
(2008)
Average member rating: (59 ratings)

Ron Newcomb says:

Short and cute -- just like the PC.

5. The Tale of the Kissing Bandit
by J. Robinson Wheeler (as 'Cary Valentino')
(2001)
Average member rating: (46 ratings)

Ron Newcomb says:

It's also short and easy, and silly enough to make me grin. But the ending gives it a little weight that makes the effort worth it -- a soft, loving weight.

6. Best of Three
by Emily Short
(2001)
Average member rating: (60 ratings)

Ron Newcomb says:

It's a conversation, in a coffeeshop. This is the best conversation-oriented game I've ever played.

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