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Kids & Kids-at-Heart Still Blaze “The Oregon Trail”

December 21st, 2007

I’m unashamed to admit The Oregon Trail is one of my all-time favorite video games, and I doubt that any game will ever top the excitement it gave me as a child. So imagine my delight when I discovered the series is (technically) still being produced! Bigger, better, fancier with every edition—in my day it was an Apple IIc simpleton, just a smidge above the world’s most basic ASCII art (no color, like the early version most recall). Now it has…imagine this…actual graphics, proper animation, and sound effects that don’t consist entirely of strings of beeps!

To be fair, I did know about the advances in the game back when the 4^th edition was released. I bought a copy and enjoyed it until an OS upgrade (XP) meant I could no longer use it (compatibility mode, no dice). It was simple point-and-click stuff, but much prettier than its predecessors. Every incarnation seems to be improving.

I’d have purchased the latest version when I saw it in a shop, but Vista (my latest OS…I’m also unashamed to admit it’s my favorite Windows OS thus far) wasn’t listed as a supported OS—probably because this edition was actually produced in 2000, when Vista wasn’t even on the horizon. I didn’t want to waste the whole $10 it’d set me back to get my hot hands on it, so I gave it a pass. It was in fact bundled with the latest version of Where in World is Carmen Sandiego?, so you know it was a big sacrifice.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years and haven’t experienced the game yourself, let me give you the low-down. For educational purposes it simply can’t be beat. It’s a wonderful introduction to the history of the untamed American west, and it’s a great glimpse into life before all the comforts we know today. Everything from foraging and hunting to self-administered prairie medicine is covered. It may seem like stuff modern kids don’t need to know, but trust me. They’ll love knowing it.

Photo by Glenn Scofield Williams. Some rights reserved.

Playing it as an adult was fantastic for nostalgia factor, but also taught me new lessons. It’s a library of knowledge that my ancestors possessed, as my paternal family went west in a covered wagon and carved a home on the sometimes unforgiving prairie. I miss it now that advances in Windows technology have rendered me incapable of reliving the joy of The Oregon Trail.

However, all is not lost. For those who can’t play it and either want to introduce a new generation to the fun or recapture fond memories, there are options available for online play!

• The Virtual Apple website (requires Windows and MSIE or Firefox browser) has The Oregon Trailhttp://www.virtualapple.org/oregontraildisk.html online. (I have never been able to make this work, but if you can, have fun—and tell me how!)
• The Global Game Network presents a poor man’s version, Westward Trail. Same concept, it’s merely dodging copyright issues.
• The Oregon Trail Online recreates just the hunting aspect of the game with snazzy visuals.

Happy trails!

Entry Filed under: The Buzz