The most popular 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 These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.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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Pac Gal

DOS19822.9/5

Silicon Dreams

DOS19873.6/5 Level 9 Computing

Scapeghost

DOS19893.7/5 Level 9 Computing

President Elect

DOS1987protected3.8/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Doszip Commander

DOS2007freeware3.9/5

Mindwheel

DOS19853.2/5 Synapse Software

Air Traffic Controller

DOS19854.2/5 Cascoly Software

SRAM

DOS19873.5/5 ERE Informatique

Volkswriter 3

DOS19823.8/5 Lifetree Software

Lancelot

DOS19884.1/5 Level 9 Computing

Brimstone

DOS19853.4/5 Synapse Software

Acheton

DOS19873.7/5

Treasure Island

DOS19853.5/5 Byron Preiss Video Productions

Crime and Punishment

DOS19844.1/5 Mindscape

Seastalker

DOS19844/5 Infocom

Safe Opening Simulator

DOS19933.5/5

Kingdom of Kroz 2

DOS19903.2/5 Apogee Software

Video Trek 88

DOS19823.9/5 Windmill Software

ZAngband

WindowsMac OSDOSLinux1999freeware4.3/5

Zangband is a variant of the popular roguelike game Angband. Zangband, short for Zelazny Angband, was developed by Chris Weisiger and first released in 1994. The game features a fantasy world with diverse races, classes, and monsters. Players explore dungeons, caves, and other environments in a quest to reach the bottom level of the dungeon, d...