Traditionally you connect to a BBS by dialing in with a terminal program. Nowadays, that concept has been replaced by the ability to connect to a BBS over a Telnet connection. If you were to telnet from an older Windows platform (like WinXP), you might see all of the ANSI Characters correctly. But, things don't look quite as pretty when telnetting from Window 7 or 8 natively.

To get the best experience, try using one of these optional methods:

• »  Use this site's embedded HTML5 telnet applet called fTelnet by R&M Software which includes an emulated keyboard for input. Pros: It works with any modern browser and looks great if you are on a large Phone or Tablet. Cons: The HTML5 version of fTelnet uses Web Sockets and port 1123 maybe be blocked by some firewalls, there are alternate port proxies linked at the bottom of the page once you get there.
• »  If you are behind a VERY Strict Firewall, try this fTelnet proxy: Proxy (in NJ) hosted by R&M Software directly. Pros: Will very likely work. Cons: Your IP will show as from New Jersey, USA, and my Weather App on the BBS will tell you the weather for that city... not your city... unless you live in Jersey.
• »  Install an alternative 32-bit Telnet client, like: Syncterm or mtelnet
• »  Try using the older Adobe Flash Based fTelnet applet: ftelnet by R&M Software Note: With the imminent demise of Adobe Flash Player, this option may not work in all browsers. Also, the plugin that runs this is old and no longer updated. R&M Software stopped working on it in favor of the newer HTML5 version for the reasons I mentioned before as well as security concerns with Flash itself.
• »  Finally, you can check out a bigger list of Telnet Options if you are more interested.