The best text-based games

In the past, lots of games used ASCII characters (text) to represent the game world. These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.
A few genres traditionally linked to the beautiful world of ascii characters still survives: roguelikes (nethack, angband, etc.) and interactive fiction, for example.

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AlphaMan

DOS19953.6/5

Caverns of Kroz

DOS1989freeware3.6/5 Apogee Software

Silicon Dreams

DOS19873.6/5 Level 9 Computing

Borland Turbo C v2

DOS19883.6/5 Borland Software Corporation

Classic Hangman

DOS19833.6/5 Norland Software

Dungeons of Kroz

DOS1989freeware3.6/5 Apogee Software

FreeDOS Shell

DOS2002freeware3.6/5

NewsMaster

DOS19863.6/5

Amulet of Yendor

DOS19853.6/5 Keypunch Software

Star Trek: First Contact

DOS19883.6/5 Simon & Schuster Interactive

Essex

DOS19853.6/5 Synapse Software

Mind Mirror

DOS19863.6/5

Adventure in Serenia

DOS19823.6/5 Sierra On-Line

Dr. Ruth Computer Game of Good Sex

DOS19863.6/5 Avalon Hill

1893: A World's Fair Mystery

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS20033.6/5

1893: A World's Fair Mystery is an interactive fiction game developed by the American studio Illuminated Lantern and released in 2002. Set during the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the game combines historical fiction with mystery-solving gameplay.In 1893: A World's Fair Mystery, players take on the role of a detective investigating ...