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 These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.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

DOSMac OS19873.9/5 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.

Earthly delights

DOS19843.6/5 Datamost

Golden Oldies: Volume 1 - Computer Software Classics

DOS19853.5/5 The Software Toolworks

Sherlock Holmes: The Vatican Cameos

DOS19864/5 Magicom Multimedia

Dr. Ruth Computer Game of Good Sex

DOS19863.6/5 Avalon Hill

Trinity

DOS19864.1/5 Infocom

Air Trax

DOS19833.5/5

Castle Elsinore

DOS19923.5/5 Temple Software

Video Trek 88

DOS19823.9/5 Windmill Software

Star Fleet 1: The War Begins

DOSMac OS19853.8/5 Interstel Corporation

Forbidden Quest

DOS19833.8/5 Pryority software

Mind Mirror

DOS19863.9/5

African Adventure

DOS1997remake3.6/5

Spellbreaker

DOS19853.9/5 Infocom

Skullduggery: Adventures in Horror

DOS19863.4/5

Infidel

DOS19833.3/5 Infocom

Return to Doom

DOS19883.8/5 Topologika Software

The Final Crusade of Kroz

DOS1990freeware3.7/5 Apogee Software

Grand Prix

DOS19894/5 Wizard Games

The Witness

DOS19834/5 Infocom

Safe Opening Simulator

DOS19933.5/5

Monopoly

DOS19853.8/5

Brimstone

DOS19853.4/5 Synapse Software

Silicon Dreams

DOS19863.6/5 Level 9 Computing

Silicon Dreams by Level 9 Computing is a trilogy of interactive fiction (text adventure) games released in the mid-1980s. The trilogy includes three separate games: Snowball, Return to Eden, and The Worm in Paradise. Each game combines elements of science fiction with puzzle-solving and exploration. All three games are text-based, relying on d...