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software to write gamebooks ?

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Ampa:
Another update: This one worthy of its own new post!

Edward Griffiths has written an extension for Inform 7 specifically designed for creating adventure game books!

kilele:
Thanks for the recommendations!! I'll check them out.
It seems that some people use a program called Advelh, like for example the author I mentioned above
http://virtualfantasies.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-write-gamebook-part-2f-what-to.html
However this program doesn't allow for visual branching of the scenes or playtesting. So It could be used along with a mindmaping tool like xmind at the beginning and some adventure engine or player for testing once you have written all the sections.  

40hz:
Take a look at the Brass Lantern and The Interactive Fiction Archive websites for tons of information, examples, and links.

A google for "interactive fiction" will identify many additional things to check out.

If you're more heading towards a long novel, there's a product called Storyspace from Eastlake Systems that was once THE hypertext writing system. It's largely disappeared from view (along with the general public's interest in interactive e-books and hyperfiction) although it's still available. Be forewarned - it's pricey. And to be honest, there's nothing it does that you couldn't do better with the more recent editions of Acrobat - or a visual web design tool like Dreamweaver. Take a look at it if you like. But don't bother buying it.

+1 w/Ampa's recommendation for Inform 7. I think that may be exactly what you're looking for if Colossal Cave or Zork type adventures are what you have in mind.

Luck. :Thmbsup:

kilele:
UPDATE: A couple more programs
GBP (this one exports to rtf as well as Advelh)
http://www.sandman.connectfree.co.uk/prog/gamebook.htm
Twine (Creates CYOA stories. Based on TiddlyWiki)
http://gimcrackd.com/etc/src/

grapeshot:
I tried Twine, and found it interesting but ultimately I abandoned it. (Example.) It isn't being actively developed, and not being being any kind of a coder, I found that to be limiting. It has some basic commands and formats all set up to use, but anything beyond that requires tooling around under the hood. I just want to write the story, not also have to code it or debug it. Initially, I also found that the story I wrote seemed to work differently between various browsers, and couldn't ever figure out why. Yet today my example seems to work okay in IE8, IE9, and Firefox. (Can't speak for Safari or Opera or Chrome.) There is still a Google group for its support, but the owner has confessed to not having time for it, and nothing much is posted there anymore. It's too bad, because I thought it was a great concept, and if someone put time into it, and provided more UI "canned" features, it could really work well.

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