Version 1.11 of Windows Frotz, David Kinder's z-code intepreter, adds new options for games with iFiction records. You can now specify whether games with iFiction records will show the About This Game dialog never, only the first time the game is played, or every time the game is loaded. Version 1.11 is available in self-installing and zip packages.
Jim Aikin, author of Last Resort, has a newish game out: Lydia's Heart, which is a substantial re-write of Last Resort.
In Lydia's Heart you play the part of 14-year-old Diane Lindsay. Diane has been brought by her Aunt Caroline to a run-down motor court in rural Mississippi, for reasons that are not initially clear. As you wander around the motor court, which is called Eternal Springs, you'll meet an assortment of colorful characters, not all of whom have your best interests at heart. Before long you'll find that you've got a Big Problem to grapple with.
The game is available from Jim's website.
For IF Review, Emily Short reviews Little Falls, the new multimedia game by the Mondi Confinanti team.
Overall, my experience was that the early part of the game, though frequently melodramatic, did draw me into the story and make me afraid for my protagonist; but as I encountered some of the less gracefully-implemented sections of the midgame, I got stalled and this sense of engagement and urgency drained away, so that the endgame did not have quite the impact it could have. Someone who doesn't have the same triggering problem will probably find "Little Falls" more satisfying, though.
And over at JayIsGames, she discusses the Lovecraftian games from The Commonplace Book Project.
Matthew Smith has taken over SUDS, Andy Elliot's old point-and-click text adventure creator for Windows, and updated it. The first non-beta release is now available.