List of text-based computer games

The following list of text-based games is not to be considered an authoritative, comprehensive listing of all such games; rather, it is intended to represent a wide range of game styles and genres presented using the text mode display and their evolution across a long period of time.

On mainframe computers

Years listed are those in which the game is believed to have originally appeared. Often these games were continually modified and played as a succession of versions for years after their initial posting. (For purposes of this list, minicomputers are considered mainframes, in contrast to microcomputers, which are not.)

: "M" denotes the game is a multi-user dungeon.
* "HAMURABI" (1969) by Richard Merrill
* "Highnoon" (1970) by Christopher Gaylo
* "Baseball" (1971) by Don Daglow
* "Oregon Trail" (1971) by Don Rawitsch
* "Star Trek (text game)" (1971) by Mike Mayfield
* "Hunt the Wumpus" (1972) by Gregory Yob
* "Star Trek (script game)" (1972) by Don Daglow
* "dnd" (1975) by Gary Whisenhunt and Ray Wood
* "Dungeon" (1975) by Don Daglow
* "Adventure" by Will Crowther (1976)
* "Empire" by Walter Bright (1977)
* "Mystery Mansion" (1977)
* "Oubliette" (1977) by Jim Schwaiger "M"
* "Zork" (1977) by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels and Dave Lebling
* "Acheton" (1978) by Jon Thackray, David Seal and Jonathan Partington
* "Decwar" (1978)
* "Avatar" (1979) by Bruce Maggs and Andrew Shapira "M"
* "Battlestar" (1979) by David Riggle
* "Brand X" (1979) (aka Philosopher's Quest) by Peter Killworth and Jonathan Mestel
* "HAUNT" (1979) by John Laird
* "Martian Adventure" (1979) by Brad Templeton and Kieran Carroll
* "New Adventure" (1979) by Mark Niemiec
* "Hezarin" (1980) by Steve Tinney, Alex Shipp and Jon Thackray
* "Kingdom of Hamil" (1980) by Jonathan Partington
* "Monsters of Murdac" (1980) by Jonathan Partington
* "Quondam" (1980) by Rod Underwood
* "Rogue" (1980) by Michael Toy, Glenn Wichman, and Ken Arnold
* "LORD" (1981) by Olli J. Paavola
* "FisK" (1982)
* "Avon" (1983), a Shakespearean game by Jonathan Partington
* "Castle" (1983) by Barry Wilks
* "Dunnet" (1983) by Ron Schnell
* "Fyleet" (1986) by Jonathan Partington
* "Crobe" (1987) by Jonathan Partington
* "MIST" (1987) "M"
* "Nidus" (1987) by Adam Atkinson
* "Quest of the Sangraal" (1987) by Jonathan Partington
* "Spysnatcher" (1989) by Jonathan Partington and Jon Thackray

On personal computers

Commercial text adventure games

These are commercial interactive fiction games played offline.

* "Adventureland" series, 2000) by Scott Adams of Adventure International
* "Zork" (series) by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels and Dave Lebling
* "C.I.A Adventure" (1980) by Hugh Lampert of CLOAD
* "Madness and the Minotaur" (1981) for Spectral Associates
* "The Hobbit" (1982) by Philip Mitchell and Veronika Megler of Beam Software
* "Forbidden Quest" (1983), Pryority Software
* "The Wizard of Akyrz" (1983), Brian Howarth of Mysterious Adventures and Cliff J. Ogden for Adventure International
* "High Stakes" (1984), Angelsoft
* "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (1984) by Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky of Infocom
* "Mindwheel" (1984) by Robert Pinsky for Synapse Software
* "Zyll" (1984) by Marshal W. Linder and Scott B. Edwards for IBM
* "A Mind Forever Voyaging" (1985) by Steve Meretzky of Infocom
* "Brimstone" (1985) by James Paul for Synapse
* "Essex" (1985) by Bill Darrah for Synapse
* "Hampstead" (1985) by Peter Jones and Trevor Lever for Melbourne House
* "Breakers" (1986) by Rodney R. Smith for Synapse
* "Terrormolinos" (1986) by Peter Jones and Trevor Lever for Melbourne House
* "Amnesia" (1987) by Thomas M. Disch, the only entirely non-graphical text adventure ever published by Electronic Arts
* "Braminar" (1987)
* "Dodgy Geezers" (1987) by Peter Jones and Trevor Lever for Melbourne House
* "Jacaranda Jim" (1987) by Graham Cluley
* "Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head Or Tail Of It" (1987) by Jeff O'Neill for Infocom
* "" (1987) by Bob Bates for Infocom
* "Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I." (1988) by Michael and Muffy Berlyn
* "The Hound of Shadow (1989) for Eldritch Games
* "Humbug" (1990) by Graham Cluley
* "Danger! Adventurer at Work!" (1991) by Simon Avery
* "Spy Snatcher" (1992) by Jonathan Partington and Jonathan Thackray for Topologika

Amateur text adventure games

* "Mission Maze" (1991) by William Soleau [ [http://www.textmodegames.com/download/mismaze.html Text Mode Games - Mission Maze ] ]

For more amateur text adventure games, see , Interactive Fiction Competition and XYZZY Awards.

Miscellaneous games

* "Wizard's Castle" (1978?) by Joseph R. Power
* "Snipes" (1983) by SuperSet
* "Beast" (1984), Dan Baker, Alan Brown, Mark Hamilton and Derrick Shadel
* "Kingdom of Kroz" (1987) by Scott Miller of Apogee Software
* "ZZT" (1991) by Tim Sweeney of Epic MegaGames
* "Sleuth" (1993) by Eric N. Miller
* "MegaZeux" (1994) by Gregory Janson of Software Visions
* "Chibot Ultra Battle" (1999)
* "PAEE" (1999) by Enrique D. Bosch

The [http://www.ifarchive.org/ Interactive Fiction Archive] ( [http://www.wurb.com/if/index Guide] ) currently contains a far more comprehensive list of text adventure games and related materials, while the [http://www.textmodegames.com/ Tribute to Text-Mode Games] site contains a great deal of information on and downloads of games that use text for illustrative rather than descriptive purposes. The [http://www.if-legends.org/%7Eadventure/Mainframe_adventures.html mainframe adventures] page at [http://www.if-legends.org/~adventure/ Adventureland] , while uneven in its coverage, is nonetheless preeminent in its documentation of these early games. MobyGames also maintains extensive accounts of games using [http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,8/ 40-column] and [http://www.mobygames.com/attribute/sheet/attributeId,9/ 80-column] text modes.

Online games

Play-by-email games

These are play-by-email games played online.

* "Lords of the Earth" (1983)
* "Quantum Space" (1989)
* "Atlantis PbeM" (1993)
* "Eressea PbeM" (1996)

BBS door games

These are BBS door games played online.

* "TradeWars 2002" (1987) by Gary Martin for Martech
* "Legend of the Red Dragon" (1989) by Seth Able Robinson

MUDs

Other

*"Federation" (1988) and "Federation II" (2003)
* "Kingdom Game" (2008)

References

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External links

*http://www.textmodegames.com/