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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Mario Bros VGA

DOS1990remake3.7/5

Mario Bros VGA is a fan made remake of the original Mario Bros by Nintendo, the game that popularized the character of Mario, the Italian plumber that first appeared in Donkey Kong. Mario Bros VGA is a fixed-screen platform arcade game that truly shines when played in co-op with a friend.

Megapede

DOS19923/5

Meteor Mission

DOS19953.5/5

Mission: Mainframe

DOS19873.9/5

Monopoly

DOS19853.8/5

Monster Bash

DOS1993protected3.3/5 Apogee Software

Monuments of Mars

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1991freeware3.3/5 Scenerio Software

Moraff's Dungeon of the Unforgiven

DOS19933.9/5 Moraffware

Moraff's Morejongg

Windows XP/98/9519923.7/5 Moraffware

Moraff's Revenge

DOS19883.7/5 Moraffware

Moraff's World

DOS19913.5/5 Moraffware

Night Raid

DOS1992remake3.8/5 Argo Games

Nitemare 3D

DOSWindows 3.x1994protected3.3/5 Gray Design Associates

Nitemare 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by David P. Gray under the Gray Design Associates label. It was released in 1994 as a follow-up to the earlier adventure games in the "Hugo" series. The protagonist, Hugo, embarks on a mission to rescue his girlfriend, Penelope, who has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Hame...

One Must Fall 2097

DOS1994freeware4.1/5 Diversions Entertainment

One Must Fall: 2097 is a fighting game released in 1994 by Epic MegaGames. Set in a futuristic world, the game features giant humanoid robots known as HARs (Human-Assisted Robots) controlled by human pilots. The storyline revolves around a tournament organized by the multinational corporation WAR (World Aeronautics and Robotics), where pilots compe...

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

Paganitzu

DOS1991protected3.7/5 Apogee Software

Paganitzu is a classic puzzle-adventure game released in 1991 by Apogee Software. Set in an ancient pyramid, the game follows the exploits of its protagonist, Alabama Smith, who must navigate through a series of increasingly complex rooms filled with traps, puzzles, and enemies. The game is divided into three episodes, each one unraveling more of t...

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/98/95Mac OS1994protecteddemo4.1/5 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...