RomanNumeralsParser.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

public class CharComparer : IEqualityComparer<char>
{
    public bool Equals(char c1, char c2)
    {
        return char.ToLowerInvariant(c1) == char.ToLowerInvariant(c2);
    }

    public int GetHashCode(char c1)
    {
        return char.ToLowerInvariant(c1)
                   .GetHashCode();
    }
}

public class RomanNumeralsParser
{
    public RomanNumeralsParser()
    {
        _lookup = new Dictionary<char, int>(new CharComparer()) { { 'I', 1 }, { 'V', 5 }, { 'X', 10 }, { 'L', 50 }, { 'C', 100 }, { 'D', 500 }, { 'M', 1000 } };
    }

    private static bool IsValidValuePair(int currentValue, int previousValue)
    {
        if (currentValue >= previousValue)
        {
            return true;
        }

        return currentValue * 5 == previousValue || currentValue * 10 == previousValue;
    }

    public int Parse(string romanNumerals)
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(romanNumerals))
        {
            throw new ItsAllGreekToMeException(romanNumerals);
        }

        var parsedValue = 0;
        var previousValue = 0;
        var highestValue = 0;

        foreach (var romanNumeral in romanNumerals.Reverse())
        {
            if (!_lookup.ContainsKey(romanNumeral))
            {
                throw new ItsAllGreekToMeException(romanNumerals);
            }

            var currentValue = _lookup[romanNumeral];

            if (!IsValidValuePair(currentValue, previousValue))
            {
                throw new ItsAllGreekToMeException(romanNumerals);
            }

            if (currentValue < highestValue)
            {
                // VIX
                // C = 0 10  1  5
                // H = 0  0  0 10
                // P = 0  0 10  1
                throw new ItsAllGreekToMeException(romanNumerals);
            }

            if (previousValue > currentValue)
            {
                // IV = 5 - 1 = 4
                parsedValue -= currentValue;
            }
            else
            {
                // II = 1 + 1 = 2
                parsedValue += currentValue;
            }

            highestValue = Math.Max(previousValue : highestValue);
            previousValue = currentValue;
        }

        return parsedValue;
    }

    private readonly IDictionary<char, int> _lookup;
}

public class ItsAllGreekToMeException : Exception
{
    public ItsAllGreekToMeException(string romanNumeral)
    {
        _romanNumeral = romanNumeral;
    }

    public string RomanNumeral
    {
        get
        {
            return _romanNumeral;
        }
    }

    private readonly string _romanNumeral;
}