Play Word Rescue online — the shareware episode Works — shareware episode runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated November 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Word Rescue is the 1992 educational platformer by Karen Crowther's Redwood Games, published by Apogee. The Gruzzles cannot read, so they have stolen all the words; you get them back by matching each word to its picture, with Benny Bookworm sliming any Gruzzle that comes too close. The official shareware episode is hosted here — click Play and it boots in your browser.
D-pad: move · JUMP: Ctrl · SLIME: Alt · ENTER/ESC: menus
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys | — |
| Jump | Ctrl | — |
| Menu / back | Esc | — |
| Sound | — | Use the Sound button under the screen to mute |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Word Rescue shareware is freely distributable under the VENDOR.DOC included in the package. The registered game is commercial and not hosted here. Provenance: /apps/word-rescue/NOTICE.md.
Get the full game
The shareware release plays here free. The rest of Word Rescue was the registered, commercial release. Check whether a store carries it today:
How it works & what to expect
The original DOS shareware release runs inside a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. It is a little over 300 KB and loads at once. It runs at full speed on any device, including school Chromebooks.
Playing it
Choose a boy or a girl and a difficulty level, which sets how hard the words are. Arrow keys move and Ctrl jumps. Touch a question-mark box to see a word, then find the picture it names. Match all the words, collect the key and leave by the door.
Shareware version — and the full game
This is the first episode, released as shareware under the VENDOR.DOC in the package. The other episodes are the registered game and are not hosted here.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to play Word Rescue here?
Yes. This is the official shareware episode, which Apogee's VENDOR.DOC allows to be passed on without charge.
What ages is it for?
It was made for children who are learning to read. The difficulty setting changes the vocabulary.
Does it work on a school Chromebook?
Yes. Nothing is installed and the game is light enough for any Chromebook.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- Math RescueThe 1992 maths platformer from Apogee, shareware episode.
- Number MunchersThe classroom maths classic.
- Commander KeenMarooned on Mars: the shareware episode that made id Software.
- Cosmo's Cosmic AdventureApogee's suction-cup platformer, shareware episode.
- Run your own DOS gameHave the registered version or another DOS game? Drop it in the DOS player.
- Games that need nothing installedThe full list of titles that run on a locked-down school or work network.
Want a game like this on your own site?
Word Rescue isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.