"These are my suggestions for eager first-time IF players, organized by year of release:" A few ones here that are still new to me, and some reminders of thigns I need to get around to.

"The Queen has told you to return with her heart in a box. Snow White has made you promise to make other arrangements. Now that you're alone in the forest, it's hard to know which of the two women to trust. The Queen is certainly a witch — but her stepdaughter may be something even more horrible..." An interesting take on conversational IF, even if some of the most interesting endings - and best writing - his relatively cryptic to access...

"This year, I have no apologies about any of my top five. Here’s my list of the cream of the crop..." Emily Short on this year's IF competition entrants.

"I thought it was a parking ticket, and was annoyed. But up close, I saw it was just an empty envelope someone put there..." I'll let you click through for the punchline. Delightful, nontheless.

"Finally Taking Over The World is interactive fiction programmed in brainfuck. It is completely written by hand without the use of any compiler or the like." IF written in brainfuck. Blimey.

Linked a thousand times over, but some great stuff in the main body. Alas, a shame to see the intertards lay into a very fair Michael Bywater, who at least showed up to the comments.

The 2007 IF competiton games, all ready for download.

Wonderful paper about the creation and development of Crowther's "Adventure", and also the real Colossal Cave in Mammoth, which almost certainly inspired the geography of the game-cave.

> GO SAM GO. Delightful