It's also worth noting that the ability of Infocom/IF games to simulate real-world puzzles is fairly limited next to what can be done with two- and three-dimens

It's also worth noting that the ability of Infocom/IF games to simulate real-world puzzles is fairly limited next to what can be done with two- and three-dimensional graphics, stereo sound, various input method, etc. There is some novelty in solving some problem abstracted into written language, but I find it to be most analogous to reading a good novel. Calling these kinds of things "interactive" is a stretch to me, because the "interaction" is severely limited. It really is, an another commenter implied, more akin to solving a coding problem using a REPL loop. On the other hand, the potential landscape of IF games is unlimited, bounded only by the author's imagination! Still, at the end of the day, given an hour to play games after work, I'm going to reach for something new and shiny because some of the newer games are truly astonishing in scope, story, and technical accomplishment.