"The first hundred or so miles came and went without much fanfare, but when I came across my first river, I made a terrible, terrible decision. While I thought it would be smart to pay the $5 to use the ferry to cross the river, I succumbed to peer pressure and decided to ford it. It was catastrophic: Oxen died, we lost clothing and the whole party lost some of its vigor. With many more rivers to cross, we learned a valuable lesson early on: Never, ever try and ford the God damned river." Dan Dormer takes on one the very first educational games, *Oregon Trail*, in "Anne Died Of Dysentery."

Anne Died Of Dysentery

I remember playing that game alot. In the end, I learned how to "cheat" the trading system so that I could get as much as I wanted before I even started the trip.

...and I never stopped looking for ways of beating the system since.

I never wanted to go to Oregon anyway. I only ever played it for the hunting mini-game. If and when I did play the entire game, my friends and I usually tried to see who could wipe out their party first...