XNA doesn't support any type of "console" class, but it does support something cool called a SpriteFont. This takes a TrueType font and (basically) renders a spritesheet of the font, in the form of an XNB file.

So if you're looking to do a Roguelike in XNA, you're gold, right? Just use the DrawString method and render the text on screen as sprites?

Nope.

Apparently (as of the XNA 1.0 Refresh) SpriteFonts do not support monospaced fonts. That isn't to say that you can't use a monospaced font in your SpriteFont class, just that it won't actually be rendered as monospace.

You have some alternatives: 1. create your own sprite based font that IS monospaced. 2. use graphics tiles in your Roguelike.

I haven't figured out which one I'll be using (if I actually take HA! that route.)