Last summer I taught introductory programming courses for middle-schoolers, and one of the first things we did was play Zork for about half an hour, as a class. Then I started showing them how to make their own text-based adventure game with rooms, a basic inventory and simple puzzles. All of my students were having a blast with Zork, and they seemed to find making text adventure games highly rewarding. I think you underestimate the imagination of today's kids.
One of the first games I wrote as a teen was a (as simple as it gets) text based simulation/adventure dealing with horse races (I read The Difference Engine at that time). Even though it wasn't sophisticated at all, it felt interesting (and good) to play one's own game (and to think about the story and how to develop it further).
