The goal of Treasure Island is not too surprising: exploring an island and find the big treasure which is rumored to be found on it. Well, evading the deadly pirates is also a good idea. The game is loosely based on the novel and features Long John Silver.

The presentation is similar to any interactive fiction game with static graphics, but there are a few unusual features to be found. The first things noticeable are that the whole game is in real-time and the very limited parser, in fact all available commands are listed in the manual. The graphics update with every step (can be switched to walking or running) and can be zoomed in with the telescope the protagonist has in his possession.

Every action, including standing around, costs energy which has to be refilled by eating. Other features are a day/night-rhythm (time can be sped up by sleeping) and the possibility to leave behind flags for orientation. The game can be saved at any time.