Top 10 · Interactive fiction

The 10 best DOS interactive fiction games

The 10 best DOS interactive fiction games, as the players of dos.games rate them. Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny leads the list, ahead of Zork I: The Great Underground Empire and Amazon.

Every game on the list plays in your browser, with nothing to install. The order comes from players' ratings and real play time, so it moves as people play.

Updated November 12, 2026How the lists are ranked

14DOS interactive fiction games in the archive
10 of 10Play in your browser
3.5Score of #1, out of 5

1. Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny
1997 · Westwood Studios · Role-playing (RPG)
3.5 out of 5Played a lot
Guardians of Destiny is the sequel to Throne of Chaos, the original Lands of Lore game.
Play now: Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny About the game
2. Zork I: The Great Underground Empire
1982 · Infocom, Inc. · Adventure
3.5 out of 5Played often
Zork: The Great Underground Empire is a classic text adventure game.
Play now: Zork I: The Great Underground Empire About the game
3. Amazon
1984 · Telarium · Adventure
3.5 out of 5Played often
The Amazon jungle.
Play now: Amazon About the game
4. SONGTAN: The Next Morning
1993 · Kimchie Entertainment · Adventure
3.3 out of 5Played often
In "SONGTAN: The Next Morning", you play the role of a GI stationed at Osan Air Base.
Play now: SONGTAN: The Next Morning About the game
5. Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients
1987 · Angelsoft, Inc. · Adventure
3.2 out of 5Played often
Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients is a text adventure game.
Play now: Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients About the game
6. Adventureland
1978 · Adventure International · Adventure
3.2 out of 5Played often
Adventureland is the first of Scott Adams' text adventures.
Play now: Adventureland About the game
7. Red Alert: a Johnny Walker Production
1996 · Brad Hinchliffe · Adventure
3.2 out of 5Played often
This "advergame" was distributed with Johnny Walker Red Label Scotch.
Play now: Red Alert: a Johnny Walker Production About the game
8. King's Quest VI AGI Demake
2024 · Brandon Kouri · Adventure
3.2 out of 5Played often
This game is a ‘demake’ of Sierra On-Line’s original ‘King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.’ The original game was released in 1992, and featured 256 color VGA graphics and a point and click interface.
Play now: King's Quest VI AGI Demake About the game
9. Alice in Wonderland
1989 · Robin C. Johnson · Adventure
3.2 out of 5Played often
Alice in Wonderland is a text adventure based on Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Play now: Alice in Wonderland About the game
10. Time Bandit
1989 · MichTron Corp. · Action
3.2 out of 5Played now and then
Time Bandit is a Gauntlet-style arcade game with text adventure elements.Having nothing to do with the Terry Gilliam movie Time Bandits, this game utilises the time-travel theme for a fast-paced variation on the good old Gauntlet concept.
Play now: Time Bandit About the game

Ranks 11–14

More great DOS interactive fiction games

11. D.R.E.D. Attack!Gold Coast Software · Adventure · 1989Rarely played
Rarely
3.2 out of 5
12. Sherlock Holmes: The Vatican CameosEllicott Creek Software · Adventure · 1986Rarely played
Rarely
3.2 out of 5
13. Zork III: The Dungeon MasterInfocom, Inc. · Adventure · 1982Rarely played
Rarely
3.2 out of 5
14. The Dungeons of DunjinFreeware · Adventure · 1991Rarely played
Rarely
3.2 out of 5

Keep exploring

More top lists by gameplay

See them all in the catalogue

Questions

Frequently asked

How Best DOS Games are ranked

What is the best DOS interactive fiction game?

Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny (1997, Westwood Studios) is the best DOS interactive fiction game by our players' ratings, ahead of Zork I: The Great Underground Empire and Amazon. The ranking follows players' ratings and real play time, so it changes as people play.

Can I play these DOS interactive fiction games online?

Yes. 10 of the games on this list play free in your browser on dos.games, with no download and no emulator to set up. Press Play on any of them; your progress can be saved.

How many DOS interactive fiction games are there on dos.games?

14. This list ranks the best 10 in full and the next ones below them; the catalogue has every one, with filters for year, studio and more.

Which year had the most great DOS interactive fiction games?

1989. 2 of the games on this list came out that year: Alice in Wonderland and Time Bandit.

How is this list ranked?

With the same score as our Best DOS Games ranking: players' ratings, pulled toward the archive's own rating while a game has few of them, plus a small bonus for the games people actually keep playing. No editor and no sponsor decides a place.