This is a review of Snack Time! by Hardy the Bulldog (but apparently some weirdo named Renee Choba also attached her name to it), a z-code game entered in the 2008 Interactive Fiction Competition.  Spoilers after the cut.

Here are some other reviews of this game:

Emily Short
Victor Gijsbers
Michael Martin
Skeet (includes other reviews)
Wesley Osam (includes another review)
‘Nitku’
CAT PERSON —> Sarah Morayati
Merk
ANOTHER CAT PERSON —> Jenni
Riff
Imrihamun
Carl Muckenhoupt
Cesia
Lucy (includes other reviews)
Dan Shiovitz (includes other reviews)
Jake Wildstrom (includes other reviews)

…

This was pretty cute, I gotta say – playing as a dog while you convince (and subsequently thwart) your master (or ‘pet’) into making a sandwich.  A lot of doggie verbs are implemented, which is awesome.  The game kind of had a gimmick to it that you had to follow, but fortunately, if you can get into the mindset of a dog, it seems to work really well.  There aren’t many rooms, and it’s a short game – huzzah that it maintains focus.

My main complaint, I guess, was that I kept losing when my ‘pet’ returns to the living room after making his sandwich.  I thought I solved the puzzle, but apparently timing is as important to winning as it is to losing.  I thought it was odd that your ‘pet’ will stay in the shower until you figure out the TV thing, but won’t stay in the kitchen until you figure out the last puzzle.  It’s discouraging to see YOU LOSE multiple times until you figure it out.  Plus, I’m not sure how someone could have realized the actions needed to get max points… you essentially have to restore if you want the best ending.  That’s always a little annoying.  But the hints are clear and helpful, so I’m probably just nitpicking.

I must say, though, I find it hard to imagine the sandwich maintaining its integrity while flying through the air!

Technical: I smiled – and the game got a point – when I tried to bark while holding something in my mouth.  I automatically dropped whatever I was holding.  Very good focus, and the game responds reasonably for a dog.

Writing: Pretty straightforward.  The author definitely kept it simple, and light.  Lot of good details and jokes.

Fun: Except for the last puzzle (and remember I am rather obtuse with puzzles), it was really smooth.  I tried a lot of different stuff, and while a lot of actions are prevented, there’s enough variety in the text that I didn’t mind.

Do I hope that the author writes more IF? This worked out pretty well!  If the next game has this much implemented, based on the size of the game, I am all for it.