Looking up Demon’s Forge, it looks like something that would have been really cool at the time, but I probably wouldn’t have patience for it now.

I laughed also at how The Bard’s Tale tries to catch you pirating, by asking you a question you can only answer by looking at the game map.

That felt better integrated then some similar anti-cheating devices from the era. At least you have to find a street on the overworld through exploring, notice something about it, and then answer a question in game. you just use the map to find the street’s name.
The D&D Gold Box games had a code wheel with runes that you had to use, both starting up the game and occasionally in-game.

Some games had those code grids with black letters on a maroon background so that you wouldn’t be able to photocopy them on a b&w copier.

That Agloe thing is really interesting and bizarre and sounds like something that would be integrated into a horror story/film where it turns out to be real.