IJFOA is the first game I ever played as a kid, and today, many decades later, I have played thousands of games since... I think I'm being objective when I say that IJFOA is still easily one of the best games in the history of games. Yes technically it may be a bit dated, and many innovations have been invented over the years. BUT when you add the inventiveness, the scope, the imagination, the charm, the breadth, the story, the dialog, the humor, the artwork, the design, the variety, the surprises, the pacing, the cohesiveness, the love and ambition that was put in this, (oh, yeah, AND Sophia!), you realize how much every other game has borrowed from this one and somehow still can't measure up to it. The best aspect is the tone of the game ; funny, but not goofy and silly; colorful, but not tacky; educational, without being didactic (I read Plato as a teen because of this game)... it creates a sense of wonder that manages to sustain itself over the many locales and story arcs without losing focus... Also, it's a very free game ; games today (even the better ones) feel like they've been force fed top-down corporate pap, like they have a board to answer to ; to be greenlit, they need to be able to show which other successful games they copy to demonstrate proof of ROI. With a game such as IJFOA, you feel the designers were given a free hand to do whatever they wanted in a way that is refreshing and rare. In countless games I have played in my life, never have I come across a game that's managed to etch itself into memory quite like this one; and I generally find it impossible to replay most games - even those I have enjoyed - because they get depleted fast. With this one, replayability comes with rewards on a level I couldn't find in any other game. I would make a plea for game designers to make more games like this one, but they have already tried, and you will easily find imitations galore, and they pale in comparison...
