Abandonware DOS title

The most popular based on a novel games

A lot of old games were based on a book, being it a novel or even a short story. Some novels that inspired developers to create video games are The Lords of the Rings (by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rendez Vous with Rama (by Arthur Clarke), The Mist (by Stephen King).
romancethree2-2

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2

DOS19904/5 KOEI
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by Koei. It was released in 1989 for various platforms, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), MS-DOS.In Romance of the Three Kingdoms II, players take on the role of a ruler during this period, and their objective is to unify China under their rule. ...
ihnom-4

I have no Mouth and I Must Scream

DOS1995protected4.1/5 The Dreamers Guild
lordrings1-2

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I

DOS19904/5 Interplay Productions
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is an abandoned fantasy top-down DOS RPG game set in the The Lord of the Rings universe. The Lord of the Rings I was developed and released by Interplay Productions in 1990. The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is based on the popular The Lord Of The Rings book by J.R.R. Tolkien and it's focused on the f...
gateway1-3

Frederik Pohl's Gateway

DOS19924.1/5 Legend Entertainment
Frederik Pohl's Gateway is one of the best abandoned adventures games from Legend Entertainment. Gateway is an interactive fiction with graphics and an improved interface (unusual for IFs), based on the Frederik Pohl's novel Gateway. Tt was designed by Michael Verdu and Glen R. Dahlgren and published by Legend Entertainment in 1992.
romance3king-2

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

DOS19893.9/5 KOEI
rendezvousrama-1

Rendezvous with Rama

DOS19853.7/5 Telarium
la-abadia-del-crimen-03

La Abadia del Crimen

DOS19874.2/5 Opera Soft
La Abadía del Crimen (The Abbey of Crime) is an action-adventure developed in Spain by Paco Menéndez in the mid-1980s. It was initially created for the Amstrad CPC and later ported to other popular home computer systems of the time, such as the ZX Spectrum and MSX. The game was released in 1987.
4th-protocol-02

The Fourth Protocol

DOS19874/5 The Electronic Pencil Co.
dune2-7

Dune II: The building of a dynasty

DOS19924.2/5 Westwood Studios
Dune II, released in 1992, is a pioneering real-time strategy game developed by Westwood Studios. Set in the world of Frank Herbert's Dune, players command noble houses in a battle for control over the planet Arrakis. With base-building, resource management, and tactical combat, the game introduced key elements of the genre and influenced future RT...
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Ringworld: Revenge of the Patriarch

DOS19923.8/5 Tsunami Media
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Return of the Phantom

DOS1993protecteddemo3.7/5 MicroProse Software
Return of the Phantom is adventure game set in France, designed by Raymond Benson, developed by MicroProse Software and released in 1993 for DOS only. Return of the Phantom is a third-person adventure game based on the book Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
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Prisoner of Ice

DOS1995protected4.1/5 Chaosium Inc.
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Red Storm Rising

DOS19894/5 MicroProse Software
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Return to Ringworld

DOS19943.8/5 Tsunami Media
hitchhikerguide-1

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

DOSMac1984freeware4.2/5 Infocom
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a humorous free text adventure game based on the novel of the same name written by Douglas Adams (if you never read it, shame on you!). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was designed by Douglas Adams himself and interactive fiction god Steve Eric Meretzky, it was released by Infocom in 1984 for DOS and for...
riders-of-rohan-09

J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan

DOS19974.1/5 Papyrus Design Group
transarctica-06

Transarctica

DOS19933.9/5 Silmarils
dune2000-splash

Dune 2000

Windows XP/98/9519984.2/5 Westwood Studios
Dune 2000 is an abandoned science fiction classic real-time strategy game based on the popular Dune franchise. The Dune "universe" took form in the books of science fiction writer Frank Herbert and went on to include movies, TV series, comics, and of course video games. Dune 2000 is one of the finest RTS of its era; it was developed by We...
dune-generations-06

Dune Generations

Windows XP/98/952002canceled3.8/5 Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Dune Generations was a canceled 3D MMO strategy game set in the Dune universe that was never published. Dune Generations was in development by Cryo Interactive Entertainment, but it was canceled in 2002 when the company filed for bankruptcy. As of 2002 the game was still in the alpha stage; what's left are some screenshots ...
death-gate-01

Death Gate

DOS1994protected3.9/5 Legend Entertainment
the-rocketeer-03

The Rocketeer

DOS19912.8/5 NovaLogic
mixedgoose-1

Mixed-up Mother Goose

DOS19874.1/5 Sierra On-Line
dragonflight-01

Dragonflight

DOS19913.6/5 Thalion
megafortress-1

Megafortress

DOS1991protected4.1/5 Artech Studios
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20000 Leagues under the sea

DOS19883.8/5 Coktel Vision
touche-02

Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer

DOS19954.1/5 Clipper Software
arthur-excalibur-02

Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

DOS19894/5 Infocom
arrakis-05

Arrakis

DOS20003.9/5
dragonriderspern-1

Dragonriders of Pern

DOS19873.1/5 Everlasting