The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition

1997 video game
The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition
Cover art
Developer(s)MECC
Publisher(s)The Learning Company (TLC Properties Inc.)
SeriesThe Oregon Trail
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows 95 (CD, DVD), Mac OS 7.5 (CD)
ReleaseNovember 1997[1]
Genre(s)Edutainment
Mode(s)Single-player

The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition (full title: The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition: Pioneer Adventures) is the second sequel to the 1985 edutainment video game The Oregon Trail after Oregon Trail II. It was developed by MECC and released in 1997.[2]

Gameplay

Like all other games in the Trail series, The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition requires careful resource management in order to successfully complete the perilous journey across America via the Oregon trail to the Western frontier.

The game included a guide book with helpful hints in case the player got stuck.[3]

Reception

Reception
Awards
PublicationAward
PC MagazineTop 100 CD-Rom Award[4]
National Educational Media NetworkSilver Apple[4]

Game Industry News wrote: "I do find this game to be an excellent learning experience for players. It is marketed for people ages ten to adult, and even if you are an adult this game offers enough of a challenge coupled with entertainment to keep your interest".[5] The Hour wrote: "This is an excellent role playing game for children ages 10 up to adults".[6] Elizabeth Weal of the MacHome Journal said that "this upgrade of the simulation - with new full-motion video, improved graphics, and new players' decisions - makes the product even more engaging than its predecessors".[7]

The 2002 book Designing Instruction for Technology-enhanced Learning suggested that edutainment properties that have been around for a long time, such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and The Oregon Trail "have been through many..evaluations, and the subsequent versions reflect careful attention to who is using the product and how well it sells". It cited the then-recent The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition (1997) and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (1996) as examples of this.[8] During the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, The Oregon Trail received a nomination for "PC Family/Kids Title of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[9]

References

  1. ^ "The Learning Company Inc Announces The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition: Pioneer Adventures for DVD-ROM". learningco.com. May 28, 1998. Archived from the original on December 2, 1998. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Ma, Minhua; Oikonomou, Andreas; Jain, Lakhmi C. (9 December 2011). Serious Games and Edutainment Applications. Springer. ISBN 9781447121619.
  3. ^ "PC Mag". google.com.au. 6 October 1998.
  4. ^ a b The Learning Company (1996-10-13). Reader Rabbit Kindergarten Previews (Windows). The Learning Company.
  5. ^ "Review: Oregon Trail 3rd Edition (The Learning Company) - Game Industry News". Game Industry News. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013.
  6. ^ "The Hour - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
  7. ^ "History Computer Review". google.com.au. 1997.
  8. ^ Rogers, Patricia L. (January 2003). Designing Instruction for Technology-enhanced Learning. Idea Group Inc (IGI). ISBN 9781931777711.
  9. ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Oregon Trail 3rd Edition: Pioneer Adventures". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

External links

  • Broderbund (Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited) page: OT3EPA DVD support, OT3EPA 1.0 support, OT3EPA 1.1 support, OT3EPA 1.2 support, OT3EPA 1.3 support
  • Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited page: OT3EPA 1.0 (School Edition) support
  • The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition at MobyGames
  • Entry in CD-ROMs in Print
  • Reference in The Complete Sourcebook on Children's Software
  • v
  • t
  • e
The Oregon Trail video game series
The Oregon Trail
The Amazon TrailOther titles
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