1. Bronze by Emily Short (2006) Average member rating: (292 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.
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: (399 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: (61 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: (48 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.
