image  As some of you know I’m a big vintage gaming fan.  I was recently revisiting The Oregon Trail on the Apple II, a game I often played in school.  In case you missed it back in the day it was a game that simulated the mid 1800’s trip West by pioneers...  and it was awesome.

Along the way you had to make some strategic decisions involving management of your resources (food, water, money, supplies), your parties health, your oxen, etc.  It didn’t burden you to the point of being tedium like RPGs like World of Warcraft.  It was simple enough for a kid to play but engaging enough for an adult, even today.  Perhaps the most rewarding part was hunting.  In later versions you could play with a mouse but back in the day you had to use the arrow keys (and you liked it that way damn it).

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I always found the more frustrating element of the game was deciding what to do at a river.  Do you attempt to ford it, pay a ferry or float your wagon?  Or late in the game when you have to steer the wagon down the river without hanging it up on the rocks or drowning Grandpa.  The first 75% of the game goes by like a breeze and the tough stuff starts when you start getting near the West and are traveling through the passes in the mountains.  Decisions you made early on in the game can bite you in the ass later on.  If by Utah your oxen are almost all gone, your party is sick and you have no more money you’ll need a miracle to get to the finish.  Perhaps that’s how Salt Lake City happened?

The game has a surprising amount of replayability which I guess is why this classic game, first written to be played on a mainframe computer in 1971 is still being played today.

image Over the years I’ve found that most educational games weren’t much fun to play nor were very educational either.  Oregon Trail was one of a few games that broke that trend (along with a few of the Carmen Sandiego games and perhaps Mavis Beacon Typing Tutor).  It’s lasting impact is proven by a new version of the game is coming out for mobile phones and the iPhone (iTunes App Store link).  Not bad for a game that is nearing 40 years old!  I mean, where else are you going to find a game that kills you with dysentery?

image  If you want to relive this classic game or play it for the first time you don’t have to dust off your Apple II.  VirtualApple offers many games playable online in your browser.  You don’t have to download or configure anything.  There are a ton of other great games on there too so poke around.  Oh and BustedTees has a great t-shirt you might like if you are fan.