I list Ultima III as my fav, I also love VI but can take or leave every other Ultima. A lot of people rave on and on about how great U-VII was and U-IV but for me, U-III is really the bomb. By the time of Ultima III they had worked the rough edges off Ultima II and honed it into a good, focused game.

Through these rose tinted memories, Ultima III really captured my imagination; I had an entire continent to wander around, with its own individual towns and people in them that I could talk to. I was mesmerized by the scale of it all... And then to find the hidden continent through the whirlpool! I remember writing down all the clues people said in every town, taking copious amounts of notes.

The story unfolded piecemeal, bit by bit as the player explored the land and dungeons. The hallmark of the epic discovery.

I have somewhere in my parents house, old notebooks filled with character conversation and notes on what everyone said to keep track of all my clues and who said what about what/whom.