A Novel Approach to ‘Legend of Zelda’

Can’t get your hands on Nintendo’s hot-selling video game, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”? Don’t worry, you can always read the book.

Sybex, a Berkeley-based publisher of video and computer game strategy guides, is offering a novelization based on the game for $9.99.

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time--Pathways to Adventure” not only presents the game in story form but “provides readers with the clues they need to find the best pathways through the game,” said author Jason Rich, a longtime video game reviewer.

“Ocarina of Time” is the latest in the “Legend of Zelda” game series, and focuses on a warrior who endeavors to rescue kidnapping victim Princess Zelda. Nintendo says it has sold half a million copies of the game in pre-orders alone.

Video games have certainly spawned TV shows (“Sonic the Hedgehog,” “PacMan,” “Donkey Kong”) and movies (“Mortal Kombat,” “Street Fighter”), but turning a game into a book is a trickier proposition. Sybex plans to follow its “Zelda” release with a series of “Pathways to Adventure” books based on other video games.

But do gamers like to read? Past evidence suggests the answer is no: A book based on the wildly popular game “Myst” was a flop.