Publisher: Infocom
Developer: Infocom
Year: 1985
Platform: PC, Commodore, Apple, Mac, Amstrad, Atari ST, TRS
Rating: 4
Considered one of the most difficult games in the Infocom catalogue, Spellbreaker deploys an excellent plot that neatly and satisfyingly wraps up the Enchanter trilogy. Yet, as seems to be in the case in all of his games, Dave Lebling’s puzzle structure maddeningly gets in the way of most of the fun.
Continue reading SpellbreakerPublisher: Infocom
Developer: Infocom
Year: 1984
Platform: PC, Commodore, Apple, Mac, Amstrad, Atari ST, TRS
Rating: 7
Steve Meretzky took over the reins from Marc Blank and Dave Lebling in his second adventure after the wildly popular Planetfall. His style is quite evident here. While telling perhaps a weaker story with a significantly less serious atmosphere than Enchanter, Sorcerer far exceeds it as a sequel thanks to a more user-friendly design and some truly excellent puzzles.
Continue reading SorcererPublisher: Infocom
Developer: Infocom
Year: 1983
Platform: PC, Commodore, Apple, Mac, Amstrad, Atari ST, TRS
Rating: 4
The first game of the second trilogy in the Zork universe, Enchanter tells a much more interesting tale with significantly more rewarding puzzles than it’s predecessors. Sadly, some poor design choices and inconsistency make it not terribly fun to play today.
Continue reading EnchanterPublisher: DreadXP
Developer: LUAL Games
Year: 2023
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Rating: 5
>/ review
[review] doesn’t exist
>/ start
You are reading about a unique illustrated text adventure by LUAL Games, a two-woman indie studio. If, like many, you have a visceral allergic reaction to text adventures, keep reading anyway. I promise you will not be harmed in any way. You may even consider braving this visually arresting and brain-breaking world that throws a rather large wrench into the genre. While the current version is still a bit rough around the edges, and its surreal nature is perhaps a bit inaccessible, [I] doesn’t exist is a worthy escapade for the few hours it will take you to play.
Continue reading [I] doesn’t existPublisher: Bob Bates
Developer: Bob Bates
Year: 2017
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android
Rating: 6
Bob Bates is a legend in the world of text adventures. While his two games for Infocom (Arthur and Sherlock Holmes) are generally not considered among their best, he co-founded Legend Entertainment and had his hands in almost every game, including Eric the Unready, Gateway, The Blackstone Chronicles, and Quandaries. After being co-president of Zynga and working on all sorts of projects, he returned after 20 years to the world of interactive fiction with the delightful Thaumistry: In Charm’s Way. I was one of the kickstarters and even got a couple of lines into the game myself. Naturally, I was quite eager to play. And while it’s a very short game with little freedom, it’s still a joy for those who like wordplay and tongue-in-cheek humor.
Continue reading Thaumistry: In Charm’s WayPublisher: Brian Fargo
Developer: Brian Fargo
Year: 1981
Platform: PC Booter, Apple II
Rating: 1
I played this as a child and never got out of the first area. I figured I was young and impatient and decided to revisit this with additional forbearance and wisdom. I got exactly as far as I did thirty-five years ago before pulling up a walkthrough.
Continue reading Demon’s ForgePublisher: Infocom
Developer: Infocom
Year: 1983
Platform: DOS, Apple II, Mac, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad, Commodore 64, TRS-80
Rating: 4
Playing a tomb raider is a perfect setting for a text adventure, and there’s so many things about this game that Infocom got right. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have a lot of fun while playing.
Continue reading InfidelPublisher: Infocom
Developer: Infocom
Year: 1986
Platform: DOS, Mac, Amiga, Commodore 128, Atari ST, Apple II
Rating: 5
On the heels of A Mind Forever Voyaging, Infocom told another story about a nightmare future brought down on us by power and hubris. But rather than a projected future brought along by Reaganomics (which is still pretty damn accurate, dangit), this game explores the impacts of Project Trinity, the first detonation of an atomic bomb in the New Mexico desert. While the examination of atomic history is impressively accurate and subtly powerful, the game itself gets in the way, with the fallout leaving a pernicious impact on its emotional resonance.
Continue reading TrinityAuthor: Mark Sample
Year: 2020
Development System: Twine
Cruelty Rating: Merciful
Length Of Play: 30 minutes
My Rating: 9
There are many types of games that can be made with Twine, but seemingly the most common and to this reviewer’s opinion the most frustrating is the game on rails that pretends it’s not on rails. The last thing I want to do after spending an hour playing a game is to replay it with all the different choices and discover that other than some flavor text, nothing has changed.
Continue reading BabyfaceAuthor: Andrew Plotkin
Year: 1998
Development System: Inform
Cruelty Rating: Cruel, but necessarily so (and short anyway)
Length Of Play: 2-4 hours
My Rating: 9
Awards: 1998 XYZZY Awards — Best Game, Best Puzzles, Best Individual Puzzle, Best Individual NPC, Best Use of Medium
Synopsis: You are breaking into a top-secret facility to foil enemy plans. However, you are playing in the past as every time you take an action that didn’t actually happen, the interrogator admonishes you (as you’re tied to a chair) and makes you start over.
Continue reading Spider and Web
Death By Troggles 
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