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 These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.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.
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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Championship Manager 93
DOS1993 Domark Software
Madball
DOS1985
Microsoft Diagnostics 3.01
DOS1994 Microsoft
Doom: The Roguelike
DOS2005freeware
Novell DOS 7
DOS1993 Novell
Earthly delights
DOS1984 Datamost
Mo'Slo
DOS1990protected Dr.David's Super Crispy Software
The previous file hosted here was put online by mistake (it was the deluxe version, not the basic one). Copyright holders kindly allowed Abandonware DOS to link directly to their website where you can buy the deluxe version of Mo'Slo.
The Shadows of Mordor
DOS1988 Beam Software
Amulet of Yendor
DOS1985 Keypunch Software
Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz
DOS1989 Infocom
Castle Elsinore
DOS1992 Temple Software
Galaxy
DOS1981 Microcomputer Games Inc.
Return to Kroz
DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
The Final Crusade of Kroz
DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
Starcross
DOS1982 Infocom
Adventure in Serenia
DOS1982 Sierra On-Line
Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It
DOS1987 Infocom
Borland Turbo Pascal 1.0
DOS1983 Borland Software Corporation
Alice: The Personal Pascal
DOS1985
Mission: Mainframe
DOS1987
TomeNET
Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS2001freeware
TomeNET (Troubles of Middle Earth, Net) is an online, multiplayer rogue-like game set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth. It’s a persistent-world game inspired by Angband, a single-player dungeon-crawler based on Tolkien lore. You can play as familiar fantasy races like Elves, Dwarves, Humans, or Hobbits, as well as more obscu...
Treasure Island
DOS1985 Byron Preiss Video Productions
Microsoft Word
Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.x1983 Microsoft
IBM Fullscreen Definition FSDPC
DOS1984 IBM
PKzip
DOS1989protected PKware
Bureaucracy
DOSMac OS1987 Infocom
Bureaucracy is an abandoned text-adventure game designed by Douglas Adams (yes, the writer of The Hitchhiker Guide of the Galaxy), developed and published by Infocom in 1987. Bureaucracy is a peculiar interactive fiction; the game challenges you to solve frustrating bureaucratic problems in a world populated by strange characters.
The Usurper
DOS1989 Sir-tech Software
Enchanter
DOS1983 Infocom
Voodoo island
DOS1985 Angelsoft
Brimstone
DOS1985 Synapse Software