Crimson Room

• "Crimson Room" was one of the first room escape games to hit the Internet, and it is widely considered the game that popularized the genre. It was created in 2004 by Toshimitsu Takagi, a Japanese computer programmer. In the game, you awake in a crimson-colored room and have no recollection as to how you got there. There is a door, but it can not be opened. You must find your way out by pointing and clicking on various objects to search for clues and items to help you escape. The game itself is simple, but infectious. The format used in "Crimson Room" was immediately copied by game developers and used in many other games that quickly spread across the Internet.
  
  

Trapped

• "Trapped," in many ways, is very similar to "Crimson Room." You are trapped in a room that has a locked door. You must find a key to unlock the door, but the key is hidden. The room is full of various items, such as a dresser and a practice putting green, and you must click on each item to find different objects and secrets that will help you escape. There are sequel episodes to the "Trapped" series, all of which use the same format -- one room and only one way out.
  
  

Alice Is Dead

• "Alice is Dead" is a series of room escape games that offer a dark and twisted take on the story of "Alice in Wonderland." In the games, Alice has been murdered and you play as Rabbit, who is the accused murderer. You find yourself trapped in various rooms and must find your way out so you can prove your innocence. Along the way, you encounter familiar characters such as the Mad Hatter and must find hidden objects that help you escape. As of January 2011, there are three episodes in the series.
  
  

Panda's Big Adventure

• In some room escape games, you are trapped in not one room but rather a variety of rooms. In the case of "Panda's Big Adventure," you find yourself trapped in a variety of rooms and locations from different periods of time throughout history. Panda is a government agent that is sent on a mission to recover alien technology from a secret bunker. While in the bunker, natures calls and Panda unknowingly steps into a portable toilet that is really a time machine. He finds himself stuck in the past and uses the time machine to travel to various periods in time to search for and discover different items that he needs in order to get back home. In 2011, the creators of "Panda's Big Adventure," Rob Donkin and RobotJam, released a sequel, "Panda's Bigger Adventure."