I might be too late, but here are mine:
Schizm
Riven
Myst
Dark Fall
Riddle of the Sphinx
Rhem
Zork Nemesis
Still Life
Reah
Sentinel
Fahrenheit
Pandoras Directive
Morpheus
Discworld Noir
GK II The Beast Within

Cheers

Ok, here it goes:

1. Azrael's Tear
2. Rama
3. Zork Nemesis
4. Pandora Directive
5. Gabriel Knight 3
6. Myst 1
7. Myst 3
8. Syberia 1
9. Syberia 2
10. The Longest Journey
11. Moment of Silence
12. Still Life
13. Last Express
14. Sanitarium
15. Curse of Monkey Island

Hey! Hey!, Ray Bres. I'm so glad that someone has finally mentioned one of my favorites, The
Last Express. I'm so glad that so many others have mentioned my all time favorite, Byzantine.
I know it is too late to be counted but I just had to get my two cents in.
Marion and the Bouv

Nope, not too late.

Another year, another list. That makes seven.
Good games keep on keeping on. Its yet another top spot for the most recommended game Syberia, making it 3 in a row, with 65% of participants putting it on their list. It also cleared out a little from the field this year.
Number 2 is The Longest Journey, which has been the top game twice and second each other time it has appeared, and only Syberia has ever finished in front of it.
The staying power of those 2 games is clear.
Which doesn't mean there aren't new games making their mark. Scratches, Still Life and Keepsake were all released not too long ago and all rated strongly. Barrow Hill did particularly well given its relative short release. Black Mirror and Dark Fall aren’t that old either.
Dreamfall also did well considering its short shelf life so far. I expect it to make a big leap next year.
Small independent games continue to prove that passion to the genre can produce little gems; Barrow Hill and Dark Fall are the two standouts, with Rhem not far behind.
Freeware games keep popping up too, which shows good fun can be had for no cost at all.
The oldest game was (by my reckoning) released in 1989, proving there is life in the oldies yet.
In my humble opinion, the game not on the list you should play is Isabelle.
Hopefully you will find the list helpful when deciding what to play. Remember that even games with only 1 recommendation were considered good enough to mention by someone from among all the games they have played.
Its probably worth mentioning to check a review or two to find out more about the game. Some of the games on the list will have some action, some will be inventory quests, others more straight puzzle oriented. If you don't like games with certain attributes, check them out more before shelling out your $$.
As usual, two lists follow. The first is chronological, the second alphabetical. Tied votes in the numerical list are listed alphabetically, not in any order of preference or judgement. I have taken liberties with names in the alphabetical list to get sequels together, and have included full and alternative titles where I know them.
Any mistakes are my own and I apologise in advance.
Its always a pleasure (even if it comes around way to quickly for my advancing years)

72 Syberia
55 Longest Journey, The
50 Syberia 2
44 Myst/RealMyst
43 Dark Fall: The Journal
39 Riven
35 Broken Sword 1: Shadow of the Templars/Circle of Blood
34 Still Life
32 Black Mirror
32 Grim Fandango
31 Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within
29 Myst 3: Exile
25 Sanitarium
23 Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
22 Keepsake
21 Scratches
19 AmerZone: The Explorer’s Legacy
19 Moment of Silence
19 Myst 4: Revelation
19 Obsidian
17 Barrow Hill
17 Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror
17 Dreamfall
17 Myst: Uru Chronicles
17 Shivers
17 Zork Nemesis
16 Tex Murphy: Pandora Directive
16 Timelapse
15 Morpheus
15 Nibiru
15 Runaway: A Road Adventure
14 Aura: Fate of the Ages
14 Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon
14 Gabriel Knight 1: Sins of the Fathers
14 Rhem
13 Blackstone Chronicles
13 Mysterious Journey: Schizm
12 Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None
12 Dracula: The Last Sanctuary
12 Lighthouse
12 Post Mortem
12 Zork Grand Inquisitor
11 Amber: Journeys Beyond
11 Discworld Noir
11 Monkey Island 1: The Secret of Monkey Island
11 Monkey Island 3: Curse of Monkey Island
11 Sentinel: Descendants in Time
10 Dracula: Resurrection
10 Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure
9 80 Days
9 Atlantis 2: Beyond Atlantis
9 Black Dahlia
9 Dark Fall 2: Lights Out
9 Day of the Tentacle
9 Faust
9 Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time
9 Myst 5: End of Ages
8 Neverhood
8 Phantasmagoria
8 Simon the Sorcerer
8 Voyage/Journey to the Centre of the Moon
7 Discworld
7 Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
7 Kings Quest 6: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
7 Paradise
6 Jack the Ripper
6 Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck’s Revenge
6 Return to Mysterious Island
5 Alida
5 Byzantine: The Betrayal
5 Cameron Files: Loch Ness
5 Discworld 2: Missing Presumed..?
5 Full Throttle
5 Legend of Kyrandia 1: Fables and Fiends
5 Messenger/Louvre: The Final Curse
5 Rama
5 Reah: Face the Unknown
5 Rhem 2
5 Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon
5 Wanted: A Wild Western Adventure
4 Ankh
4 Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern
4 Egypt 3: The Egyptian Prophecy/The Fate of Ramses
4 Martin Mystere: Operation Dorian Grey/Crime Stories
4 Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor
4 Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake
4 Nancy Drew: Danger on Deception Island
4 Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript
4 Shadow of Destiny/Shadow of Memories
4 Shivers 2: Harvest of Souls
3 A Quiet Weekend in Capri
3 AGON: The Mysterious Codex
3 Beyond Time
3 Cameron Files: Pharoahs Curse
3 Clue Chronicles: Fatal Illusion
3 Delaware St John: Curse of Midnight Manor
3 Dig, The
3 Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist
3 Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit
3 Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time
3 Journey to the Centre of the Earth
3 Mysterious Journey 2: Chameleon
3 Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower
3 Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy
3 Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom
3 Sherlock Holmes: Case of the Rose Tattoo
3 Sherlock Holmes: Case of the Silver Earing
3 Simon the Sorcerer 2: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe,
3 Starship Titanic
3 Watchmaker, The
3 X Files

2 Arrangement, The, Arthurs Knights 2: Secrets of Merlin, Atlantis 3: The New World, Atlantis Evolution, Azreal’s Tear, Bad Mojo/Bad Mojo Redux, Blade Runner, Crystal Key, Cydonia/Lightbringer, Daemonica, Deathgate, Delaware St John: Town With No Name, Goat in the Grey Fedora (Nick Bounty), Hope Springs Eternal, Journeyman Project, Last Express, Last Half of Darkness, Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin, Mystery of the Druids, Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand, Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch, Necronomicon: The Dawning of Darkness, Ripper, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy, Stupid Invaders, Tears of Betrayal, Tex Murphy: Overseer, Titanic: Adventure out of Time, Toonstruck, Twinsen’s Odyssey

1 5 Magic Amulets, 7th Guest; Alone in the Dark 1, American Magee’s Alice, Another Code: Two Memories, Apprentice 1, Ark of Time, Armed and Delerious/Dementia, Arthurs Knights 1: Tales of Chivalry, Atlantis 1: The Lost Tales, Auryn Quest, Ben Jordon Paranormal Investigator 4: Horror at No. 50, Beneath a Steel Sky, Bone: The Great Cow Race, Callahans Crosstime Saloon, Ceremony of Innocence, Celtica, Chewy: Escape from F5, Comer, Conspiracies, CSI, Dark Side of the Moon, Déjà vu, Dragon Riders of Pern, Drowned God, Duckman, Dust, Ecoquest: The Search for Cetus, Egypt: 1156 BC: Tomb of the Pharoah, Eric the Unready, Fatty Bear’s Birthday Surprise, Feeble Files, Gast: The Greatest Little Ghost, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harvest, Hitchcock: The Final Cut, Ico, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Inherent Evil, Kings Quest 5: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder, Kings Quest 7: The Princeless Bride, Largo Winch, Law and Order: Justice is Served, Law and Order: Double or Nothing, Law and Order: Dead on the Money, Legend of Kyrandia 2: The Hand of Fate, Legend of Kyrandia 3: Malcolm’s Revenge, Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work, Lifestream, Magnetic, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, Missing: Since January/In Memoriam, Monkey Island 4: Escape from Monkey Island, Mystery of the Nautilus/Secret of the Nautilus, Mystery of Time and Space, Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion, Nancy Drew: The Final Scene, Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon, Out of Order, Peppers Adventures in Time, Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Physicus, Pleurburgh, Realms of the Haunting, Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren, Rent a Hero, Riddle of Master Liu, Riddle of the Sphinx 2: The Omega Stone, Road to India: Between Hell and Nirvana, Safecracker, Simon the Sorcerer 3D, Space Quest 4: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers, SPQR: The Empire’s Darkest Hour, Star Trek: Final Unity, Temujin, Tex Murphy: Mean Streets, Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, Tony Tough and the Night of the Roasted Moths, Torin’s Passage, Touche: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer, Traitors Gate, Traitor’s Gate 2: Cypher, Versailles 1685, Ween: The Prophecy, Xiama, Zork: Return to Zork

1 5 Magic Amulets
1 7th Guest
9 80 Days
3 A Quiet Weekend in Capri
12 Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None
3 AGON: The Mysterious Codex
5 Alida
1 Alone in the Dark 1
11 Amber: Journeys Beyond
1 American Magee’s Alice
19 AmerZone: The Explorer’s Legacy
4 Ankh
1 Another Code: Two Memories
1 Apprentice 1
1 Ark of Time
1 Armed and Delerious/Dementia
2 Arrangement, The
1 Arthurs Knights 1: Tales of Chivalry
2 Arthurs Knights 2: Secrets of Merlin
1 Atlantis 1: The Lost Tales
9 Atlantis 2: Beyond Atlantis
2 Atlantis 3: The New World
2 Atlantis Evolution
14 Aura: Fate of the Ages
1 Auryn Quest
2 Azreal’s Tear
2 Bad Mojo/Bad Mojo Redux
17 Barrow Hill
1 Ben Jordon Paranormal Investigator 4: Horror at No. 50
1 Beneath a Steel Sky
3 Beyond Time
9 Black Dahlia
32 Black Mirror
13 Blackstone Chronicles
2 Blade Runner
1 Bone: The Great Cow Race
35 Broken Sword 1: Shadow of the Templars/Circle of Blood
17 Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror
14 Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon
5 Byzantine: The Betrayal
1 Callahans Crosstime Saloon
5 Cameron Files: Loch Ness
3 Cameron Files: Pharoahs Curse
1 Ceremony of Innocence
1 Celtica
1 Chewy: Escape from F5
3 Clue Chronicles: Fatal Illusion
1 Comer
1 Conspiracies
2 Crystal Key
1 CSI
2 Cydonia/Lightbringer
2 Daemonica
43 Dark Fall: The Journal
9 Dark Fall 2: Lights Out
1 Dark Side of the Moon
9 Day of the Tentacle
2 Deathgate
3 Delaware St John: Curse of Midnight Manor
2 Delaware St John: Town With No Name
1 Deja Vu
3 Dig, The
7 Discworld
5 Discworld 2: Missing Presumed..?
11 Discworld Noir
1 Dragon Riders of Pern
10 Dracula Resurrection
12 Dracula: The Last Sanctuary
1 Drowned God
1 Duckman
1 Dust
4 Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern
1 Ecoquest: The Search for Cetus
1 Egypt: 1156 BC: Tomb of the Pharoah
4 Egypt 3: The Egyptian Prophecy/The Fate of Ramses
1 Eric the Unready
1 Fatty Bear’s Birthday Surprise
9 Faust
1 Feeble Files
3 Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist
5 Full Throttle
14 Gabriel Knight 1: Sins of the Fathers
31 Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within
23 Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
1 Gast: The Greatest Little Ghost
2 Goat in the Grey Fedora, Nick Bounty
32 Grim Fandango
1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
1 Harvest
1 Hitchcock: The Final Cut
2 Hope Springs Eternal
1 Ico
1 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
7 Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
3 Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit
1 Inherent Evil
6 Jack the Ripper
2 Journeyman Project
3 Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time
9 Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time
3 Journey to the Centre of the Earth
22 Keepsake
1 Kings Quest 5: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder
7 Kings Quest 6: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
1 Kings Quest 7: The Princeless Bride
1 Largo Winch
2 Last Express, The
2 Last Half of Darkness
1 Law and Order: Justice is Served
1 Law and Order: Double or Nothing
1 Law and Order: Dead on the Money
5 Legend of Kyrandia 1: Fables and Fiends
1 Legend of Kyrandia 2: The Hand of Fate
1 Legend of Kyrandia 3: Malcolm’s Revenge
2 Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin
1 Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work
1 Lifestream
12 Lighthouse
55 Longest Journey, The
17 Longest Journey 2: Dreamfall
1 Magnetic
4 Martin Mystere: Operation Dorian Grey/Crime Stories
1 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
5 Messenger/Louvre: The Final Curse
1 Missing: Since January/In Memoriam
11 Monkey Island 1: The Secret of Monkey Island
6 Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck’s Revenge
11 Monkey Island 3: Curse of Monkey Island
1 Monkey Island 4: Escape from Monkey Island
19 Moment of Silence
15 Morpheus
44 Myst/RealMyst
39 Myst 2: Riven
29 Myst 3: Exile
19 Myst 4: Revelation
9 Myst 5: End of Ages
17 Myst: Uru Chronicles
13 Mysterious Journey: Schizm
3 Mysterious Journey 2: Chameleon
2 Mystery of the Druids
1 Mystery of the Nautilus/Secret of the Nautilus
1 Mystery of Time and Space
4 Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor
3 Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower
1 Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion
1 Nancy Drew: The Final Scene
2 Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand
4 Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake
4 Nancy Drew: Danger on Deception Island
2 Nancy Drew: The Secret of Shadow Ranch
1 Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon
2 Necronomicon: The Dawning of Darkness
8 Neverhood
15 Nibiru
3 Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy
19 Obsidian
1 Out of Order
7 Paradise
1 Peppers Adventures in TIme
8 Phantasmagoria
1 Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh
1 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
1 Physicus
1 Pleurburgh
12 Post Mortem
3 Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom
5 Rama
5 Reah: Face the Unknown
1 Realms of the Haunting
1 Redjack: Revenge of the Brethren
1 Rent a Hero
6 Return to Mysterious Island
14 Rhem
5 Rhem 2
1 Riddle of Master Liu
10 Riddle of the Sphinx: An Egyptian Adventure
1 Riddle of the Sphinx 2: The Omega Stone
2 Ripper
1 Road to India: Between Hell and Nirvana
15 Runaway: A Road Adventure
1 Safecracker
2 Sam and Max Hit the Road
25 Sanitarium
21 Scratches
4 Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript
11 Sentinel: Descendants in Time
4 Shadow of Destiny/Shadow of Memories
3 Sherlock Holmes: Case of the Rose Tattoo
2 Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy
3 Sherlock Holmes: Case of the Silver Earing
17 Shivers
4 Shivers 2: Harvest of Souls
8 Simon the Sorcerer
3 Simon the Sorcerer 2: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe
1 Simon the Sorcerer 3D
1 Space Quest 4: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
1 SPQR: The Empire’s Darkest Hour
1 Star Trek: Final Unity
3 Starship Titanic
34 Still Life
2 Stupid Invaders
72 Syberia
50 Syberia 2
2 Tears of Betrayal
1 Temujin
1 Tex Murphy: Mean Streets
5 Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon
16 Tex Murphy: Pandora Directive
2 Tex Murphy: Overseer
16 Timelapse
2 Titanic: Adventure out of Time
1 Tomb Raider
1 Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness
1 Tony Tough and the Night of the Roasted Moths
2 Toonstruck
1 Torin’s Passage
1 Touche: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer
1 Traitors Gate
1 Traitors Gate 2: Cypher
2 Twinsun’s Odyssey
1 Versailles 1685
8 Voyage/Journey to the Centre of the Moon
5 Wanted: A Wild Western Adventure
3 Watchmaker, The
1 Ween: The Prophecy
3 X Files
1 Xiama
12 Zork Grand Inquisitor
17 Zork Nemesis
1 Zork: Return to Zork

Thank you, flotsam! We appreciate all the care, time and effort in doing this to help other gamers in their quest for the gamer's game choice.

flotsam you rock!

Quite an undertaking and very well done!

Thanks!

Nice. But one suggestion. Might have been easier to read all that in a new topic named results.

Skeeter,

Thanks. This thread will be archived sometime later. So it is best that they are all together.

You can also check the results at the Other Game Info Page. The top 50 are listed in order of choice and the rest can be viewed by clicking on the link at the top.

That's awesome Flotsam, thanks so much once again for doing all that work. It's so very interesting to see how the trend goes.

Thanks everyone. Its good to be able to contribute a little something, and to give something back to MaG and the moderators for all the work they do at this place

Thanks flotsam. I find it very interesting that five of the top eleven vote getters are very old games.

Thank you, flotsam, for all your hard work!! And thank you for the two different listings; that made it easier to digest the entirety of the thing. Very interesting as always!

thank you,flotsam ! and i would love to play Isabelle !but have no idea where to get it - i did find a review after someone mentioned it on a previous twisty ,so your great list and effort do help the rest of us ! thanks again !

Thank you for all the hard work

Thanks so much for all the hard work, Flotsam. As usual, it's very interesting and fun to see the ratings.

I also love to see the way some of the old ones just keep holding on to their titles as some of the best games and some new games that look like they will remain on the list for years to come always show up too.

Melanie

Flotsam...your an for doing this!

Thank you so much, flotsam!!

Besides having the list as a lookup I very much like to read your conclusion, it's interesting!

Thanks Flotsam for an excellent job

Mary

Jema

Well I have Isabelle and I have no idea where I got it

flotsam -

Thanks for taking on this task yet again, Flotsam. Except...I know I recommended Hope Springs Eternal and I didn't see it anywhere in your compilations... Did I just miss something?

WW