The Oregon Trail

Up until yesterday, I have never heard of this game before. After looking around youtube, I found some videos giving info and showing off the actual gameplay of it. Now the game looks very primitive by today's standards but I was intrigued at how complex the game can get. The graphics don't bother me since I have played far more simpler looking games back in the day. Aside from teaching kids about 19th century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail, the game also teaches you how to manage what limited resources you have at your disposal. I wish we had this for Math class back when I was in grade school.

From Wikipedia

The Oregon Trail is a computer game originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971 and produced by MECC in 1974. The original game was designed to teach school children about the realities of 19th century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail. The player assumes the role of a wagon leader guiding his party of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley over the Oregon Trail via a Conestoga wagon in 1848.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GH0-hr1u_k&w=480&h=390]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHps2SecuDk&w=640&h=390]

If you want to check the game out, head over to classicgaming.gamespy.com to get the game and the Apple II emulator to run it.