Home of Retro PC Gaming
Currently hosting 7 ASCII games!
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Home of Retro PC Gaming
Currently hosting 7 ASCII games! |
| Next Generation Trivia 1988 | ||||||
| User rating: 7.5 | DOS Public domain | Puzzle | ||||
| Developed by Micro F/X Software | ||||||
| Published by Apogee Software, Micro F/X Software | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 80×40×16c | ||||||
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A simple Star Trek: The Next Generation trivia game using the same engine as Trivia Whiz. Bonus points are awarded for answering within the time limit. Each volume has 100 multiple choice questions. There are 3 volumes in this game, with only the first volume playable in the shareware version. Next Generation Trivia Shareware Episode (33k) Play online AvailabilityNOTE: Apogee does not distribute, sell, register, or retain copyright on this game. This is officially abandonware.
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| Paul's Classroom Math 1992 | ||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware (full version) | Educational | ||||
| Developed by Paul T. Dawson | Compatibility guide | |||||
| Published by Paul T. Dawson | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 80×40×16c | ||||||
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A straightforward math quiz where you answer as many addition, subtraction, multiplication and division questions as you can within the time limit. Designed for the classroom, none of the bells and whistles of Paul T. Dawson's other games are present in this game. It's no frills and silent!
AvailabilityI have been unable to locate the author online, but there is still a mailing address for registration. The games indicate that you can register for $10, or "super register" and get all 10 of Paul T. Dawson's educational games for $35.
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| Tetris 1986 | ||||||
| User rating: 9 | DOS Freeware (always) | Puzzle | ||||
| Developed by Vadim Gerasimov | ||||||
| Published by Elorg | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 40×25×16c | ||||||
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In June 1984, Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris on an Elektronika 60 while working for the Soviet Academy of Sciences at their Computer Center in Moscow with Dmitry Pavlovsky. Dmitry approached Vadim Gerasimov to create a DOS port, which he created in Turbo Pascal. The game spread like wildfire, and is now the best-selling game of all time. It is frequently listed as the best game of all time. In Tetris, there are seven sets of pieces, called tetrominoes because they are made of four blocks. They fall from the top of the screen and need to be stacked so that entire rows are filled with no gaps between them, at which point the complete rows disappear and the pieces above them drop by the same number of rows. When the board is filled, the game is over. The controls in the DOS version are a bit difficult at first, but the game is perfectly playable if you use the spacebar instead of "4" to drop pieces. Because the Soviet Union was a Communist nation, it is difficult to say whether or not the original DOS version of Tetris was ever distributed under any license other than freeware. Vadim Gerasimov has made the final version of his original DOS port, v3.12, available on his website as a free download. Tetris v3.12 Freeware (14k) Play online AvailabilityVadim Gerasimov has generously made this game available for download.
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| Trek Trivia 1988 | ||||||
| User rating: 5 | DOS Public domain | Puzzle | ||||
| Developed by Apogee Software | ||||||
| Published by Apogee Software | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 80×40×16c | ||||||
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A simple Star Trek trivia game using the same engine as Word Whiz. Apparently only Volume I had a v3.0, while all others stopped at v2.0. Each volume has 100 multiple choice questions. There are 10 volumes in this game, with only the first episode playable in the shareware version. Volume 1 - 7: General Trivia Trek Trivia v3.0 Registered Version (257k) Play online AvailabilityNOTE: Apogee does not distribute, sell, register, or retain copyright on this game. This is officially abandonware.
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| Trivia Whiz 1988 | ||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware-turned-freeware | Educational | ||||
| Developed by Micro F/X Software | ||||||
| Published by Apogee Software, Micro F/X Software | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 80×40×16c | ||||||
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A simple trivia game with questions on a large variety of topics, using the same engine as Next Generation Trivia. Bonus points are awarded for answering within the time limit. Trivia Whiz was developed by Micro F/X Software, before George Broussard merged his operations with Scott Miller's Apogee Software. Apogee took over distribution after Micro F/X ceased to be a separate company. Each volume has 100 multiple choice questions. There are 5 volumes in this game, with only the first episode playable in the shareware version. Trivia Whiz Registered Version (138k) Play online AvailabilityApogee generously released this game as freeware under the Trivia Whiz Freeware License in December 2005.
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| Word Whiz 1988 | ||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware-turned-freeware | Educational | ||||
| Developed by Apogee Software | ||||||
| Published by Apogee Software | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 80×40×16c | ||||||
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A program that teaches difficult and commonly misspelled words, using the same engine as Trek Trivia. There are 4 volumes in this game, with only the first volume playable in the shareware version. Each volume has 100 words. DownloadsWord Whiz v3.0 Registered Version with source code in Turbo Pascal 5.0 (189k) Play online AvailabilityApogee generously released this game as freeware under the Word Whiz Freeware License in December 2005.
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| ZZT 1991 | ||||||
| User rating: 10 | DOS Shareware-turned-freeware | Adventure | ||||
| Developed by Epic MegaGames | Compatibility guide | |||||
| Published by Epic MegaGames | ||||||
| Graphics: ASCII 80×40×16c | ||||||
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Tim Sweeney's famous first game, published by Potomac Computer Systems until v3.2, when it was renamed Epic MegaGames. ZZT is an ASCII adventure along the lines of the famous Kroz series. The hero can move from screen to screen, fighting monsters and collecting treasures as he goes. Torches are necessary to see in dark rooms such as caves, and keys are needed to open passages to some areas. ZZT is known for clever level design and use of the 16 color palette, and also uses the PC speaker to create music more effectively than most games of this era. The game also came with a level editor, inspiring thousands of user-created levels. There is still a fan following for this game even today. Epic released the full version of this game as freeware on their website in 1997, but Epic Classics is still selling it on their website. I am asking the author whether or not it is still legal to distribute the full version. There are 4 volumes in this game, with only the first volume playable in the shareware version. Volume 1: Town of ZZT DownloadsZZT v3.2 Registered Version (176k) Play online AvailabilityEpic MegaGames generously released this game as freeware under the ZZT Freeware License. It is also still sold through www.epicclassics.com for $12 on floppy disk.
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