Sorry. I should have been a bit more clear in my statement. I, too, have had my share of struggles when it comes to adventure games. When I made the comparison of the novel's success based on reader's imagination to that of the adventure game's success based on the gamer's imagination and how much fun said gamer would have, I was referring to the fun that comes from the gamer's ability to recreate a world in their head compared to one that would fold their arms in a "graphics or bust" type of fashion. Reality can definitely set in when the puzzles get too difficult, and that is a detractor from the fun. So with the exception of various game mechanics or thoughts processes demanded for puzzle solving, the enjoyment of the (text-based) game is largely based on the player's imagination.

So I maintain that there is a direct correlation between one's imagination and one's enjoyment of a text-based adventure game, but I also acknowledge that there can be detractors from the experience. I didn't mean to sound as if there were no other influences on that player's fun factor.