The Treasure of Elgon Adventure is at the top range of your early 8-bit Basic two-word parser games. The puzzles are challenging but not diabolical. There is the possibility of death, but it is not sudden. Nor is it completely arbitrary. The setting is medieval fantasy, but it is hard to get a sense of reality from the various locations and one dimensional characters you run across. The feel is more one of a dream locale or mild nightmare, or perhaps something akin to Alice in Wonderland. If you're someone who can be content with a Basic two-word parser, this is one you should definitely try.
Escape from SSADB is a text adventure in the tradition of the great adventures of Scott Adams. This program isn't as complicated as an Infocom product--It only uses two word commands like GET KEY or HIT COMPUTER.
This was apparently David Meny's first adventure game written in Basic. It was very enjoyable and challenging to play. The Basic program listing provides much insight in the structure of adventure program writing. He apparently also made other adventures such as PIRATE TREASURE, which is supposed to take place on a pirate ship and a desert island.
The version I played for the TRS-80 MC-10 has been updated for the 2000s. Kim Jun Un and the North Koreans are the enemies and not the Soviets as in the original for the TRS-80 Model 1/3.