The Oregon Trail 4th Edition
The Oregon Trail 4th Edition, from 1999, lets you choose your route at every fork, explore towns and landmarks in 3D, and travel with two chosen partners.
- Year
- 1999
- Developer
- MECC
- Publisher
- The Learning Company
- Platforms
- Windows, Macintosh, Web (DOSBox)
The game starts right away and downloads the rest while you play.
What is the 4th Edition?
The Oregon Trail 4th Edition starts in Independence, Missouri, in 1848. You lead the wagon, pick your own route and make the decisions, and two companions travel with you.
At towns and landmarks you can look around with 360-degree panning, full-motion video and 3D graphics. There are three levels of difficulty, and the game needs an 800 by 600 display.
Two companions
In Independence you choose two people to share your wagon. You talk with each candidate first and ask who they are, what matters to them, what they are good at and how much money they have. If one of them grows unhappy on the way, they may take some supplies and leave.
Your companions speak up along the trail, too. PC Gamer called their acted clips terrifically over the top.
Choosing your route
You pick your own route at each fork in the trail, and the map shows how far you have come. You can talk with the characters you meet to learn about events and get advice, from the safe road to the shortcuts.
Trouble along the way
Events come with a photograph and a list of choices: an ox that wanders off, an accidental gunshot, a sprained ankle, a skunk. Some are good news, like a birthday you can take time to celebrate.
Food and supplies
You can hunt, fish or gather plants, and PC Gamer liked that hunting now has perspective and scope. However much game you shoot, you can carry only part of it back to the wagon, and you can preserve some of the meat with salt.
Every supply has a weight, and the supplies screen compares what the wagon carries with what your oxen can pull.
Reaching Oregon
When you arrive, the game looks back at the trip: how many of your party made it, their health and morale, your cash and supplies and how long the journey took. Then the land office registers your claim, and you see the farm you will build.
History
The 4th Edition came out in 1999 for Windows and Macintosh, published by The Learning Company. It was the last Oregon Trail developed by MECC. That same year the toy company Mattel bought The Learning Company, and MECC's offices in Minnesota closed.
The game came on three CDs, and MECC was still selling it to schools in 2001 as a CD for Windows and Macintosh.
Playing it here
The version on this site is the Windows release of the 4th Edition, installed in Windows 95 with the QuickTime 3 player it needs for its video, and running right in your web browser at 800 by 600. It starts on its own once Windows has loaded. It is free, and you do not need an account to play.
All three CDs are in the player. When the game asks for another disc, open the disc button on the left side of the player and pick the one it wants. The game keeps running while you switch. As a guest, your saved games stay in this web browser. If you are 13 or older, an optional account keeps them for you.
Notable systems
- Choose your route at each fork in the trail
- Two companions, who may leave you if they grow unhappy
- 360-degree panning, full-motion video and 3D exploration of towns
- Talk with characters to learn about events and get advice
- Three levels of difficulty
- 800 by 600 graphics
More from the game
25 frames from The Oregon Trail 4th Edition, at the resolution it originally ran at. Pick one to see it at full size.