The Oregon Trail is a series of strategy computer games. The first game was originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971 and produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) in 1974. The original game was designed to teach eighth grade schoolchildren about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail. The player assumes the role of a wagon leader guiding a party of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley via a covered wagon in 1848. Also For Apple II, Macintosh, Windows, Windows 3.x Developed by MECC Published by MECC Released 1990 Pacing Real-Time Perspective Bird's-eye view, Side view, Text-based / Spreadsheet, Top-down Educational Geography, History Genre Educational, Simulation Setting Western Interface Text Parser Gameplay Managerial / Business Simulation Visual Fixed / Flip-screen Description As a covered wagon party of pioneers, you head out west from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette River and valley in Oregon. You first must stock up on provisions, and then, while traveling, make decisions such as when to rest, how much food to eat, etc. The Oregon Trail incorporates simulation elements and planning ahead, along with discovery and adventure, as well as mini-game-like activities (hunting and floating down the Dalles River). From Mobygames.com. Original Entry