Abandonware DOS title

The best 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).

Most popular based on a novel games

Dune 2000
strategyWindows XP/98/95
Dune
strategyDOS
war-lance-03

War of the Lance

DOS1990protected4.3/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
pacificislands-1

Pacific Islands

DOS19924.3/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
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...
js-shogun-02

James Clavell's Shogun

DOS19894.2/5 Infocom
James Clavell's Shogun, a text adventure game developed by Infocom and released in 1989. Infocom was known for its interactive fiction games, and "James Clavell's Shogun" was one of its later releases.This text adventure game is based on James Clavell's novel "Shogun" and follows the story of John Blackthorne, an English navigator who becomes invol...
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...
conancimmerian-3

Conan: the Cimmerian

DOS19914.2/5 Synergistic Software
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Flight of the Intruder

DOS19904.2/5 Rowan Software
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Team Yankee

DOS19904.2/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
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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.
hook-04

Hook

DOS19924.2/5 Shadow Software
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...
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Discworld

DOS19954.2/5 Perfect Entertainment
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The Fellowship of the Ring

DOS19864.1/5 Beam Software
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Prisoner of Ice

DOS1995protected4.1/5 Chaosium Inc.
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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.
9-princes-in-amber-02

9 Princes in Amber

DOS19854.1/5 Telarium
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Megafortress

DOS1991protected4.1/5 Artech Studios
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Frankenstein

DOS19944.1/5 Junkyard
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Mixed-up Mother Goose

DOS19874.1/5 Sierra On-Line
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I have no Mouth and I Must Scream

DOS1995protected4.1/5 The Dreamers Guild
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J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan

DOS19974.1/5 Papyrus Design Group
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Discworld 2: Mortality Bytes!

DOS19964.1/5 Perfect Entertainment
dune-4

Dune

DOS19924.1/5 Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Dune, released in 1992, is a game developed by Cryo Interactive and published by Virgin Games. It's based on the iconic science fiction novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. In Dune, players assume the role of Paul Atreides, the young scion of House Atreides, as he arrives on the desert planet Arrakis with his family to take control of spice pro...
touche-02

Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer

DOS19954.1/5 Clipper Software
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Circuit's Edge

DOS19904.1/5 Westwood Studios
Circuit's Edge is a cyberpunk-themed role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom. It was released in 1990 for various platforms including DOS, Amiga, and Commodore 64.Set in a dystopian future, Circuit's Edge takes place in the fictional city of Rhoes Island, a dark and gritty urban landscape filled with crime, corru...
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The Hunt for Red October

DOSMac19874.1/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
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Betrayal at Krondor

DOS1993protected4/5 Dynamix
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Red Storm Rising

DOS19894/5 MicroProse Software
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Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

DOS19894/5 Infocom
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Shannara

DOS1995protected4/5 Legend Entertainment