Go West, Young Woman, Go West!
Written: Aug 26 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A fun, challenging way to learn history and geography.
Cons: Three CDs to juggle, limited choice in traveling companions.
The Bottom Line: Oregon Trail, 3rd Edition is a fun, educational game. And since you'll probably be able to find it pretty cheap, why not give it a try?
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| solleks's Full Review: Oregon Trail 3rd Edition |
The year is 1848, and you’re in Independence, Missouri. Your name is Jackknife Johnson. Or maybe Catfish Clark. You’re a lawyer. Or a doctor. Or a gunsmith. Or a teacher.
Whoever you are, whatever your trade, one thing is clear. Your job is to assemble a wagon party and lead it safely over the Oregon Trail.
I discovered The Oregon Trail, 3rd Edition a few years ago when it appeared on my nephews’ holiday wish list. I bought it for them and proceeded to monopolize it for their entire holiday break. A few days ago, I saw this game again in the discount bin of a local store (there is apparently an Oregon Trail, 4th Edition out now). I took it home, played it, and remembered immediately why I had enjoyed it so much.
It’s challenging and fun, and if you can tear yourself away from it long enough to give your kids a turn, it will teach them valuable lessons about economics, history, decision-making, and social savvy.
GAME PLAY
Oregon Trail, 3rd Edition comes in three CDs. Installation is basic.
When you insert the first CD and start the game, you will be asked to choose between three levels of expertise. Are you a Beginner, Challenger, or Expert? Beginners are guided along the trail every step of the way. They make no decisions about mapping the party’s course. Challengers occasionally come to forks in the road where they must consult a map to guide their party in the right direction. Experts face even more forks in the trail and more game playing decisions.
Next, you must go into the local hotel and interview people who wish to join your wagon party. Make your selections carefully! Not only will you be stuck with the people you select for two thousand miles of rough trail, their abilities or lack thereof can mean the difference between the success and failure of your party. You are allowed to select up to four traveling companions.
When you sign the contract with your wagon party, you may also choose a profession for yourself. As you become a more experienced player, you will realize that each job has its tradeoffs. A banker has plenty of money to buy supplies, for instance, but is not much good at hunting or fixing broken wagon parts; whereas a farmer might not have as much money to take on the trail, but will be able to tend ill livestock and help maintain equipment.
Then, it’s off to the general store to stock up for your trip! You can choose between buying a “package” of things you will need, or purchasing items separately. Once again, your choices can come back to haunt you later. Buy too many supplies, and your oxen will become exhausted and will not be able to get you safely to Oregon before the harsh winter sets in. But too few supplies, and you may find yourself running out of food partway through your journey. And no, you aren’t allowed to resort to the infamous solution of the Donner Party!
Once you have selected your wagon party and your supplies, insert the second CD and begin your journey! Each “day,” you get a summary of how long you have been on the road, how far you have traveled, and how well the individual members of your party are holding up.
On the road, you have more decisions to make. Should you restrict rations to save food? Or should you make sure everyone is well-fed to guarantee the good health of your party? Should you stop and rest every few days, or should you push on to Oregon at the most strenuous pace possible?
Occasionally, a member of your wagon party will become ill or injured. Again, you will have to make decisions. Do you stop to allow the sick person to regain their strength? Or do you push on and hope for the best?
You will also have to make decisions about river crossings (ford the river, caulk the wagon and float across, or pay a few dollars to take a ferry), and maneuvering steep hills. If you are an Expert or a Challenger you will be asked to make choices when you come to forks in the road.
If you run low on food, you can forage for wild plants (do check your guidebook, though, to be sure they’re not poisonous!), hunt, and fish.
The second CD will take you about halfway through your journey. The third offers more of the same types of dilemmas. If you survive, you will arrive in Oregon City. The amount of land you receive depends on how successful you were as a party leader. You’ll gain points for cash on hand, healthy and happy party members, and a good store of supplies. Sick and dead party members and trips that stretch into winter months will cost you points (and land).
OTHER FEATURES
During rest stops, the game allows you to “converse” with different members of your wagon party. Although an interesting feature initially, this can get a little old once you have heard all their stories.
You can also converse (and trade) with other travelers along the trail. As in real life, beware of deals that sound too good to be true!
Finally, the game allows you to keep a diary of your experiences on the trail. For the child (or adult) with a lot of imagination, this is a wonderful feature! You can invent all kinds of intrigues between the different members of your party. (One of my nephews, whose interests veer towards sci-fi and fantasy, even introduced a story about a dragon that visited the party at night.)
WHAT WORKS
I recommend this game for many reasons. It is a neat way to learn about a brief, but fascinating, period in American history. It can also help kids learn other skills like map-reading and budgeting.
Oregon Trail, 3rd Edition is challenging enough to have staying power. Random circumstances ensure that you will never play exactly the same game twice.
The game also offers several levels of play so that younger and older children alike can enjoy it.
Finally, the wagon party characters, and some of their stories, are quite interesting. Austin Billings for instance, is a freed slave who speaks about longing to rescue his wife and child who were sold away from him years before. Casey O’Neill is a blacksmith who longingly recalls his life in Ireland. Eighteen year old Theophilus Farnum was left behind on the trail by another wagon party when he became ill and is trying to rejoin his family in Oregon.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK
I have only a few complaints about this game. The graphics are a little stilted. Depending on the speed of your computer, you may also get a few awkward starts and stops in characters’ speeches.
It is also annoying to have to interrupt play to insert three different CDs.
Finally, although the game offers an interesting array of characters, by the time you’ve played three or four times, you’ve met all of the potential wagon party members.
For the above two reasons, I actually prefer Oregon Trail II which fits neatly on one CD and allows the player to create characters for their wagon party.
SUMMARY
Even though Oregon Trail, 3rd Edition has a few flaws, I still recommend it. It is one of those rare games that is truly both fun and educational, and with an even newer edition available, you probably pick it up without overtaxing your wallet.
Happy traveling!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
solleks
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Member: Debra Stang
Reviews written: 124
Trusted by: 94 members
About Me:
Medical social worker, freelance writer, proud member of the lesbian community.
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