No, certainly not.
Let's face it: many of the games in the if-archive stink. Or, if they
don't stink, then they're not very good.
The if-archive doesn't weed out the bad games, nor should it. It's
great to have an archive site where all IF is welcome, not just some
selection based on somebody's personal likes and dislikes.
However, what is needed is a "Guide to good adventure games", something
to guide you through the jungle of if-archive. Just downloading games
at random and trying them out can be a very tedious process.
I think Whizzard is compiling such a guide right now. Until it's
published, my advice to you is to check out the back issues of SPAG (also
avialable from if-archive) for reviews. I can also give you some personal
recommendations of games that I liked myself:
John's Firewitch
The Sound of One Hand Clapping
World
Jacaranda Jim
Neither of these games is very likely to kill you off without warning.
Then there's Curses, of course, which I haven't played myself but
which everyone seems to love, and, if I may shamelessly plug my own
game, Dunjin (which does kill you off sometimes, but generally not
without warning).
Magnus Olsson (mol@df.lth.se) / yacc computer club, Lund, Sweden
Work: Innovativ Vision AB, Linkoping (magnus.olsson@ivab.se)
Old adresses (may still work): magnus@thep.lu.se, thepmo@selund.bitnet
PGP key available via finger (to df.lth.se) or on request.