O is for (The) Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valley

By Pressman Toy Corp

So when I was a kid in 3rd grade, my teacher had this crappy little cube of a computer with some 2 or 3 educational games on it that we got to play once a week for an hour or so. I always chose Oregon Trail. I have really fond and happy memories of it. I have been chasing that high for years. I've tried the newer editions of Oregon Trail (and sadly, they just don't make me feel the same way). We've tried the Oregon Trail card game. Didn't scratch the itch. Then I saw this game and I thought it would finally give me that feeling I had at age 8, amassing supplies, hunting bears, fording rivers, and hoping my family members wouldn't die of dysentery.

Players: 2-4

Time: 30-60 minutes

Ages: 13+

Theme: 1848 Journey to Find Fortune in the West

Mechanics: Tile Laying, Route Building, Supply Management, Racing

This game is okay. It's not a bad game. It just didn't make me feel like I was 8 again. So I have some criticism: The route tiles are awkward, especially with respect to rivers. Most of the winter tiles just got tossed off to the side where no one was going and we ended up with many cities and forts in a row, rather than spread out. This sort of thing could perhaps be fixed by additional players, but sadly, right now we've just got the two of us. The art on the tiles is nothing to write home about. Components aren't very exciting-- All supplies are just colored cubes. Hunting is kind of weird. The more guns you amass, the better you are at hunting. There were some other things that bothered me, but I think I'm just cranky and nit-picking.

We both think it would benefit from more players. Perhaps it's just not balanced properly for two. We hardly took any damage and no one in either of our families even got remotely close to dying.

We played one game in which Dustin won. Dustin scored 2900 and I scored 2400.

We give this one a 5/10 for its mediocrity.