Abandonware DOS title

The most popular Engine: Z-machine games

The Z-machine was developed by Infocom and used in its interactive fiction games. Z-machine is a virtual machine that allows a developer to easily develop text-adventures for multiple platforms without much hassle. A number of interpreters exists so you can play both old and new text adventures on dead platforms as well as recent ones: Glulx, Inform, TADS, etc.
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Zork I: The Great Underground Empire

DOS1982 Infocom
Zork is one of the most popular text-adventures and one of the first interactive fiction games ever created. The first Zork was developed in the seventies and ported on various pla...
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Leather Goddesses of Phobos

DOS1986 Infocom
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

DOSMac OS1984freeware Infocom
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a humorous free text adventure game based on the novel of the same name written by Douglas Adams (if you never read it, shame on you!). The ...
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Planetfall

DOS1983 Infocom
Planetfall is an interactive fiction sci-fie game released in 1983 by Infocom, written by Steve Meretzky. It is often considered one of Infocom's best titles. You play as a lo...
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Deadline

DOS1982 Infocom
Released in 1982, Deadline is one of Infocom’s classic text adventures, and it doesn’t pull punches. You’re a detective with twelve in-game hours to solve a murde...
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Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz

DOS1983 Infocom
You survived Zork I, and now it’s personal. In Zork II, you face off against the enigmatic Wizard of Frobozz, who exists mostly to mess with you like a magical prankster with...
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Zork III: The Dungeon Master

DOS1984 Infocom
The final part of the original trilogy, Zork III ditches treasure-hunting in favor of introspection, moral puzzles, and the looming presence of the Dungeon Master—basically t...
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Suspended

DOS1983 Infocom
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Moonmist

DOS1986 Infocom
In Moonmist (1986), you’re invited to a spooky English castle where, naturally, murder and mystery are on the menu. This Infocom text adventure mixes romance, ghost stories, ...
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Spellbreaker

DOS1985 Infocom
The last entry in Infocom’s Enchanter trilogy, Spellbreaker is where the training wheels come off. It’s unforgiving, cryptic, and expects you to understand spellcraft l...
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Ballyhoo

DOS1986 Infocom
Come one, come all, to the saddest circus ever pixelated. In Ballyhoo, you're stuck in a depressing carnival trying to solve a kidnapping while dealing with clowns, carnies, and th...
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Enchanter

DOS1983 Infocom
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Trinity

DOS1986 Infocom
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Hollywood Hijinx

DOS1986 Infocom
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Plundered Hearts

DOSMac OS1987 Infocom
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Infidel

DOS1983 Infocom
In Infidel, you play a not-so-noble adventurer whose moral compass is spinning like a broken ceiling fan. As a treasure-hungry explorer poking around an ancient Egyptian tomb, you ...
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The Lurking Horror

DOS1987 Infocom
From 1987’s text adventure golden age, The Lurking Horror proves you don’t need graphics to be terrified. You’re a student trapped on a snowy university campus du...
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A Mind Forever Voyaging

DOSMac OS1985 Infocom
If you ever wanted to play a video game that doubles as a philosophical think piece, A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) is your ride. Released for DOS and Macintosh, this is one of Inf...
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Stationfall

DOS1987 Infocom
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Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

DOS1989 Infocom
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur is a text adventure with occasional graphics, in which you, the not-yet-king, bumble your way through Camelot trying to prove you’re not just ...
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Seastalker

DOS1984 Infocom
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Suspect

DOS1984 Infocom
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Wishbringer

DOS1985 Infocom
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Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz

DOS1989 Infocom
With Zork Zero, Infocom decided to throw everything into the cauldron: graphics, mouse support, and a jester who won’t shut up. A prequel to the original trilogy, it’s ...
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Sorcerer

DOS1984 Infocom
Released in 1984 for DOS, Sorcerer is Infocom at its most mischievous. You play an apprentice wizard who wakes up from a hangover only to find your mentor missing and reality sligh...
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Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It

DOS1987 Infocom
Infocom really went off the rails with Nord and Bert, and bless them for it. This is a text adventure not about dragons or spaceships, but about puns. Yes, literal wordplay puzzles...
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Cutthroats

DOS1984 Infocom
In Cutthroats, you’re a diver hired for a treasure-hunting expedition that’s about to go very wrong. This text adventure from Infocom mixes underwater exploration with ...
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Varicella

DOSWindows XP/98/95Linux1999freeware
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Starcross

DOS1982 Infocom