I installed the non-graphical pre14 version for MS-DOS and play it under Dosbox (under Fedora).
When starting the game the screen that displays the version and copyright info jams for a long time displaying this message:
Setting up highscore file.
That happens even if the file is in the proper directory.

The game itself runs smoothly, but after my character dies and I've answered the mandatory (y/n) questions, the cursor just flashes and no hiscore is displayed.

I tried deleting the highscore file and this time the following message was displayed after death:
The highscore has been locked for a long time. Some kind of problem with another ADOM process might be the reason for this. You might be in trouble...

No kidding. Pressing SPACE to continue doesn't help.