The Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail
Platform: Various
Ahhh a classic. What else would I be doing in 3rd/4th grade? Those lovely Apple computers in the computer lab (part of the legendary LMTC/Library at Waunakee Elementary) were good for only a few things. Typing up papers, and games. This is back when you had those sweet 5 1/4" disks that sounded awful when you messed up the loading. I digress. Oregon Trail, along with other great games such as Murphy's Minerals, Odell Lake, and Number Munchers, was what we call...Edutainment...ie games you were supposed to "learn" from through playing them. I am certain there was almost no learning and more gaming going on, but maybe some bits of learning snuck through.
At any rate, this game/text adventure simulated the 2000 mile journey from the heartland to the lands of Oregon, on the search for prosperity. You have to balance supplies, the pace of your group, the trails of the trail, etc, enroute to try to make the difficult journey.
I fondly recall choosing to take time to play games in the computer lab over basketball, crafts, or whatever other things they offered during "free days" or when it was raining outside. My goodness, the only sport I had played to that point was probably four square. (Side note: I recall you had to put a red solo cup on the top of the computer to signify that you had a question. Why we had to do that, I have no idea).
In order to complete my trip down memory lane, I decided to find an Apple II emulator on the interwebz and to play it legit style. Many other versions are available (including text only, PC, and now in app form on iPod!)
Now in App form! In my opinion, the greatest thing about playing this game with your class was that people would often name their party members after themselves, friends, or others. So you'd have a character break a leg in game, with an exchange such as "HEY DAVE! YOU JUST BROKE YOUR LEG!!!" Ahhh good times....or I'm just easily amused.
Anyway, for this run, I followed a similar pattern for my excursion:
This can only end well. After purchasing supplies, we were ready to rock.
Check out those sweet graphics! 
The main interface. Things are looking good at this point. Good health! One of the biggest problems one runs into is a lack of health. My trip was no different, as seen here:
MISS!!! 
...and the only prescription, is more cowbell! 
Work Reduction! 
Too much Karaoke DJing! Apparently, I'm the only healthy one in the group...probably because I drink so much milk. HA!
As you progress, the conditions deteriorate. Not only health is an issue, but so too is the food situation. Stocking up at the beginning is key, but so is hunting along the way. For some, this was the highlight of the game (i.e. they would just buy nothing but bullets. Smart move. Smart move.).
Got Beef? Along the way, you also have to make choices as to which route you want to take, how fast you want to travel, and of course, the infamous "fording of the river(s)." You often have a few choices (such as taking a ferry, floating the wagon, or fording the river. Ferry is the safest route, however it also usually costs time and money. Fording is often the quickest, but you can also sink the wagon, leading to a loss in supplies, oxen, etc.)
Ford the river!!! Often times, through bad health and bad conditions, someone in the group will die. It is always interesting to run across a gravestone enroute to Oregon. Inevitably, someone in my class back in the day would have found it hilarious to name party members with riduclous/awesome names like "Butt" or "Assface" or "Penis." Or you could run across a friend's name and you'd laugh or mock them for dying.
Yes, but what happened to Assface? I was fortunate on my trip...plenty of health issues but we managed to truck through the difficult journey with no loss of life, and we eventually found our way to Oregon:
No sign of Nike and their hideous football uniforms anywhere! Of course, since this was an early game, the ending was satisfying, but you didn't get a lot of pomp and circumstance:
Not pictured: The T-shirt with the saying "I traveled 2000 miles to Oregon and all I got was this lousy text box." 
Top 10!!! However, it still felt like an accomplishment. Not only back in the day, but even today when I completed the journey again.
Overall, Oregon Trail is a great game. Even if it is basic by today's standards, it still holds a place in the hearts of many a gamer. Whatever form it takes, it packs in a decent game with historical reference to add the educational perspective. If you haven't played this game, do yourself a favor and play it in some form.
PS - If you want a good laugh, here's a great fake movie trailer for an Oregon Trail movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHps2SecuDk
