The game seems to run fine. I hear sounds and my keyboard seems to be responsive. But here's what I can do..

'R' switches back from the menu to the map
'J' goes to black and says 'no party formed' and returns to the map
Every other key beeps, the arrow keys beep but do not move, and enter does not take me into the Options menu

Which game are you having difficulty starting? I believe you need to hit "C" to (C)reate a new character. In Ultima III you'll also need to (F)orm a party after you create at least one character.

Assuming it IS U3, you should create at least 4 characters before you form your party. You can't add party members later in the game without dispersing the party and then forming a party again.

It's Ultima 4.

In which case, it should be I for (I)nitiate New Game. You'll go through the character creation process, and start the game from there. Save the game with Q while you're in-game (though the game won't save if you're in a city or castle!) and then next time you start the game up, continue your game with J for (J)ourney Onward.

Thanks. I appreciate your help.