From the Desk of El Mister

The following is a post from the blog I have set up for my classes, where I post announcements, dates of tests, and the occasional surprise extra credit assignment. We are studying expansion to the West in my U.S. History classes, and I could think of nothing more fitting than this. Maybe you'll get some joy out of it too, though I can't promise any extra credit in this economy.

Oregon Trail--8th & 11th Grades

So, when I was in 7th grade, I couldn't wait for Thursdays, because that was the day we went to the computer lab. Of course, the computer lab was not anything like it would be today: we didn't even have internet. But, we did get to do things like type our names, make banners with our names on them, or turn the computer on and off and on again.

Not only did we get to type seven letters at a time and get to push "the" button, we also got to play awesome games. No, not games like GTA 4, Tiger Woods 2009, or Shadow of the Colossus. These were good games. Classic games. Games with horrible graphics, and an educational theme. Games like MathBlaster, WordBlaster, DinoPark Tycoon, and I believe a universal favorite: Oregon Trail.

Oregon Trail is awesome, simple, and very educational. Believe it or not, everyone my age used to love playing Oregon Trail. For this reason, I'm going to make you play Oregon Trail. For extra points.

Here are the rules: follow the link at the bottom of this post to play the game. You can't use a mouse, because we didn't have those back then, so you control everything by typing stuff in. Play the game, see how far you can get without everyone dying, then leave a comment on this post with your Name, Grade, Section, and your high score and final position in the game.

Here's a hint: hunt a lot, fjord the rivers, and start out with more than 50 pounds of food.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY THE BEST COMPUTER GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!