Serious Game Classification

This update (in the particulars only, otherwise reveling in its gloriously retro 8-bit sound, graphics and gameplay sensibilities) on the "Go West!" classic Oregon Trail casts the player as a band of early-'20s participants in a cross-country road trip from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Barbara, California, sometime around the turn of this century, striving to attend the mind-blowingly awesome Atlantis Music Festival... within six days.

Rather than losing oxen in river fords and dying of dysentery, this group will face a random assortment of modern hazards in their choice of vehicle (each equipped with a Thule roof rack, the game's sponsor), including inclement weather, road hazards, highway patrol speed traps, and the existentialist hell of putting up with each others' company in the rolling box with no exit once all the magazines have been read and all the CDs have been listened to.

Initial choice of character type will yield different starting resources which can be allocated for travel supplies (such as food, fuel, and spare tires), judicious use of which can be used to maintain the morale of your band of concert-goers and keep them from jumping ship before the big show at the end. If you have time to stop, their mood can be improved with rest and the purchase of pick-me-ups at MiniMarts in larger towns at regular intervals across the country, should any pocket change still be kicking around. Periodic scenic vistas offer a different kind of reward, and there are actual (in-game) cash prizes for success at the Rocky Mountain Snowboard Competition and Green River Paddle Jamboree mini-games.

A further hunting mini-game awaits the hungry car-load, where players can forage for food by re-staging the original Oregon Trail shooting simulator... except instead of animals, here they bag wandering items of fast food. (Not too fast to shoot, hopefully!) Should the player arrive to the festival on schedule, a final parking mini-game awaits them. [source:mobygames]

Distribution : Retail - Commercial
Platform(s) : Browser (Flash)

Links

• http://www.mobygames.com/game/thule-trail/