Shareware: a business model

Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Shareware games were released for free with limited functionality (for example: no saving, missing levels, time limit), often via a BBS (Bulletin Board System), a floppy disc or a CD included in a printed magazine or by direct download (when internet was in its infancy). If the user liked the shareware product, they could pay to obtain an upgrade and unlock the full game. When digital distribution started to become popular, shareware games slowly faded into oblivion.

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Mission: Mainframe

DOS19873.9/5

Monopoly

DOS19853.9/5

Monster Bash

DOS1993protected3.3/5 Apogee Software

Monuments of Mars

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac1991freeware3.3/5 Scenerio Software

Moraff's Dungeon of the Unforgiven

DOS19933.9/5 Moraffware

Moraff's Revenge

DOS19883.7/5 Moraffware

Moraff's World

DOS19913.5/5 Moraffware

Night Raid

DOS1992remake3.8/5 Argo Games

One Must Fall 2097

DOS1994freeware4.1/5 Diversions Entertainment

One-Nil Soccer Manager

DOS19923.9/5 New Era Software

One-Nil Soccer Manager is a text-based soccer management simulation game that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was developed for various home computer systems, including DOS, Commodore 64 and Amiga. In One-Nil Soccer Manager, players take on the role of a soccer team manager, making strategic decisions to guide their team to s...

Othello

DOS19864.1/5

OverKill

DOS1992freeware3.9/5 Tech-Noir

Pharaoh's Tomb

DOS19904.1/5 Micro F/X Software

Quake

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo4.2/5 id software

Quake is a first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by id Software and released in 1996. It is the successor to id Software's immensely popular "Doom" series and is known for its groundbreaking 3D graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and multiplayer capabilities. The game was created by a team led by John Carmack and John Romero, two of the co-fou...

Radix: Beyond the Void

DOS19954.1/5

Raptor: Call of the Shadows

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac1994protecteddemo4.1/5 Cygnus Studios

Raptor: Call of the Shadows is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Cygnus Studios and published by Apogee Software. The game was first released in 1994 for MS-DOS and later ported to other platforms. In Raptor, players control a fighter jet through various levels filled with enemy aircraft, ground targets, power-ups and boss...

Realms of Chaos

DOSMacLinux1995protected4/5 Apogee Software

Reaping The Dungeon

DOS19934/5 Frontline Software

Redhook's Revenge

DOS19933.3/5 ImagiSoft

Return to Kroz

DOS1990freeware3.1/5 Apogee Software

Rise of the Triad: Dark War

DOS1994protected3.9/5 Apogee Software

Robotron 2084

DOS19833.9/5 Williams Entertainment

Rockstar!

DOS19894/5 Wizard Games

Round 42

DOS19862.7/5

Sango Fighter

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1993freeware3.5/5 Panda Entertainment Technology Co.

Scorched Earth

DOS1991protected4/5

Secret Agent

DOS1992protected3.9/5 Apogee Software

Secret Agent: The Escape

DOS19963.8/5 PhreAk Software

Seek and Destroy

DOS19964.2/5 Safari Software

Seek and Destroy was a shoot'em up published by the well known Epic Megagames in 1996 that tried to change the usual shoot'em up gameplay for the better. Instead of wave after wave of enemies to shoot down, you are given short missions to accomplish with your helicopter or your tank (yes, you can choose). At first, missions could seem a bit repetit...