Portable version of the 1974 computer educational game, The Oregon Trail

boing
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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/03/08/portable-version-of-the-1974-c.html

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The obvious question is, how easily can it be hacked to run other Apple II games?

The Oregon Trail adventure game, published in 1974, was a classroom favorite, teaching students about managing resources and making good decisions in order successfully cross 2000 miles of rugged terrain with your family in a covered wagon in 1848. You can play it at Archive.org with their online emulator.

I might add that the version is MECC’s 1990 “remake” and is a pretty far cry from the 1974 original, which is really quite primitive, though not necessarily without some entertainment value.

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I predict that your 7 year old will be disappointingly uninterested you your nostalgia.

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Do you know if this emulates the 1990 DOS version, or the 1985 Apple II version?

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But that’s NOT the 1974 version of the game!
It’s clearly a later graphical edition.
The 1974 version was text-only, and could be played via teletype to a mainframe.
Does anybody know where I can find a playable version of that?

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Here we go:

I said “1990” as that was what happened to be on the title screen for the linked Archive.org version.

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Well this should give the kids something to do as we struggle across the blasted, post-apocalyptic hellscape of tomorrow! (Until we run out of batteries.)

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Okay, wait. Just wait.

This device is a computer. It has a processor, an LCD, a battery and a power source, buttons, etc.

Yet, it is designed to run exactly one application. It is an application that nearly everyone who purchases it will play at most a half-dozen times, and then discard. Every one of these devices will end up in a landfill, almost completely unused.

This is an enormous waste of material. It is as bad as the thousands of single-use kitchen appliances, like banana slicers and strawberry top removers, which are purchased and thrown away when the users realize they’re practically useless.

Mark, seriously - shame on you for promoting wasteful products like this. Wanton consumerism is destroying the planet.

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To be fair, because I read this I am now likely to buy one just to try and hack it into something more useful.

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Android emulator:


Disk image:

I’d be interested to know about the hardware. A SBC with screen could be re-purposed to a lot of things for $25.

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Ha! I’ve already played it two dozen times. I’m well ahead of the curve!

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It’s neither. From the youtube reviews, it’s its own version closest to the 1990 MS-DOS version – it isn’t running on DosBox or similar – instead it really is a new version of the game custom implemented for the system.

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I saw this on Twitter a few days back, and thought COOL!

I even wrote down the UPC information, and was planning on fitting in a trip to Target to pick one up.

Then I remembered that I had an Android tablet, which could probably download any number of Oregon Trail clones.

I did find a few . . . but ended up downloading and playing “Seedship,” a fascinating space colonization game.

OTOH I would buy this in an instant if it had the ability to play other nostalgia games. For $5 more, I’m guessing, it could have a slightly fancier interface and a dozen or more games in memory.

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Well, darn. I would have expected development and QA for that option to be too costly.

One of these days I’ll get around to The Organ Trail. The Thule Trail is kinda neat.

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Or you can order it online through Target: Pressman The Oregon Trail Game : Target

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Loved this as a kid and the Institute (an Apple II game released later), here’s a passive video game where everyone wins! #nonviolentgames

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