Gradeschool Mac Nostaligia: List your favorite classic kids games / programs.

[gdh]

Hi,

I grew up learning on an Apple IIE (everyone in class fought to get the one with a color screen), and am reminiscing about the fun educational games that were around. That got me to thinking that my niece's birthday is coming up (she'll be 5), and it would be great to get her some of the classic kids games and educational software.

If I can find a good number of programs I'll buy her an old iMac off Ebay to run OS 9 (preferably a pink-ish one). The problem is that I don't recall the names of many programs (only Carmen San Diego and Oregon Trail - and they weren't too educational).

So, if you're interested in reminiscing with me:

(1) list your favorite educational software for young kids. Educational software is great (math, spelling, grammar, typing, geography, etc.).

(2) list the fun, semi-educational games too (Carmen San Diego, Oregon Trail, etc.)

Also, does anyone know where to buy this software on the cheap? Do any places sell old classic Mac OS software in bulk?

Thanks.

 

[adrianblaine]

When I was in grade school, the only "game" we were allowed to play was the Oregon Trail. That was my only experience with Macs back in the day. I remember typing programs, but can't remember what they were called. That was almost 15 years ago...

I would argue that the Carmen San Diego series was very educational. What is your reasoning for saying that it isn't? Just curious. "Where in Space" was extremely difficult. Before I played it (I was 11 or 12 at the time), I thought I knew quite a bit about space, but was proven wrong very quickly...

 

[brsboarder]

is there a way to play oregon trail on os x? does anyone have a link? it must be a free game by now

 

[brsboarder]

I'd take carmen san diego too

 

[Magritte]

Any Infocom game ever made. (I don't know if all of them came out for Apple.)

Also -- can I mention a PC game? It was called "In Search of the Most Amazing Thing" and it was weird and hard and kind of addictive and cool.

 

[gdh]

When I was in grade school, the only "game" we were allowed to play was the Oregon Trail. That was my only experience with Macs back in the day. I remember typing programs, but can't remember what they were called. That was almost 15 years ago...

I would argue that the Carmen San Diego series was very educational. What is your reasoning for saying that it isn't? Just curious. "Where in Space" was extremely difficult. Before I played it (I was 11 or 12 at the time), I thought I knew quite a bit about space, but was proven wrong very quickly...

It may well be very educational - I'd probably trust your memory more than mine on that one. (My recollection of the game isn't that great, other than having five people crowded around one computer trying to get the answers right). I guess I was comparing it more to the typing/math/grammar programs than anything else.

 

[gdh]

Any Infocom game ever made. (I don't know if all of them came out for Apple.)

Also -- can I mention a PC game? It was called "In Search of the Most Amazing Thing" and it was weird and hard and kind of addictive and cool.

Thanks for mentioning Infocom.

Feel free to mention PC games if you'd like. If I can't find enough programs to justify buying my niece an old iMac, she'll have to use her parents' current Windows computer (which happens to sound like a vacuum cleaner - as did my old Vaio R505tl). Of course, she doesn't need a Mac - but I was more familiar with the old Mac games and programs than their Windows counterparts. That, and I've been a Mac convert for many years, so I wouldn't mind getting her started on a Mac (which I hope will be less frustrating for her than a PC).

 

[FF_productions]

Oregon Trail 1+2 were the best games back in the day.

For typing, Mavis Beacon was the ****!


At home, I played Wolfenstein 3d, slow as all hell for our Performa if I turned up the resolution. Good times.

 

[devilot]

• Word/ Number Munchers. (You're this silly little monster and the screen is divided into a grid with varying answers and you move the monster to a grid that displays an accurate word or equation and you "munch" it. )
  
• Oregon Trail.

Er. Those were the only real games we played at school.

There was a typing program with really simple and ugly looking hands that simulated your movements. Shrug.

:edit: There was this one that my cousin had on her Windows box, I have no clue what it was called, but the main character ("you") were this faceless guy in a blue denim jacket w/ a red baseball cap pulled low over the "face" and skinny legs w/ red (?) sneakers. And you'd go from room to room solving sciency/ mathy problems. Sometimes there'd be something weird and you'd have to ZAP it w/ your like, laser type thing. As you solved the puzzled in the rooms correctly you got "car" parts and at the end you built a car to race against the evil scientist.

Does anyone have a clue as to what game I'm thinking of?! Been trying to come up with the name of it for years now.

 

[letswastetime]

definitely oregon trail. that goes way back to like 2nd grade for me.

also carmen san diego, that game was always entertaining.

 

[soLoredd]

Oregon Trail, Romper Room, MathBlaster, and KidPix come off the top of my head as the ones I used ALOT when I was little. There were some others but sadly I can't recall the names.

 

[zephead]

The ones I can remember most are Oregon Trail and Kid Pix. Kid Pix was my favorite though.

The PC ones I liked were Monkey Island and Reader Rabbit. They ran on Windows 3.1 on my dad's Packard Bell.

 

[jwhMac28]

I found this site with old "abandonware" a couple of years ago, and the software includes Oregon Trail. The games only run in Classic, so I guess it pays to be running a PowerPC...

No? It still doesn't?

http://mac.the-underdogs.info/

Anyway, how about those old random Sim games? SimFarm, SimAnt, SimTower... good stuff.

 

[synth3tik]

Number Munchers was SO my favorite.

 

[Gymnut]

Number Munchers was SO my favorite.

Same here. Oregon Trail was another favorite and there was another old one where you were a fish and had to eat smaller fish while avoiding getting eaten yourself by other fish, seals, and birds. The name of that game eludes me, anyone know which one I"m talking about?

Edit: Oh yeah, and who can forget Shufflepuck or Vette although not educational

 

[polycat33]

WOW, blast from the past, I remember Number Munchers! GREAT game!! Except you could never win... after each level you'd get a little video and after each level you'd get a little farther in the adventure, but at the end the bad guy is ALMOST caught and then he gets away and you start from the beginning again. Like the song that never ends...

Mario Teaches Typing was a really fun game for me. I think that's what helped me to learn to type so fast (about 100WMP). It's Super Mario and he goes through the game by you typing the words. Also, the stuff you type, at least at higher levels, is educational, like stuff about Abraham Lincoln and other history themes. You'd also get certificates along the way to show your accomplishments on beating levels. And at the end Mario always saved the princess, heh. I don't know if it's still around, this way way back when we had our Macintosh LC around 1995.

Kid Pix was pretty fun too, although I can't remember much about it now but I know I enjoyed it.

 

[CalBoy]

Great thread, it's really taking me back. I remember playing Oregon Trail (like every former student does). Shooting the buffalo, that's what it was all about

I also remember this other game where you went around in a transparent green tank and shot other enemey red tanks. I think it was called Dr. Vector. Totally awesome. Now I'm going to go have a lollipop and a PushPop

 

[iBunny]

My Favorite was a game called Brain Drain. I dont really remember it too much tho

 

[Toshiba]

Devilot, the game you are thinking of is gizmos and gadgets. That used to be my favorite one, along with sim town back in the day.

Gdh i highly reccomend gizmos and gadgets for your niece, its quite educational and very fun.

 

[numlock]

Kid pix for sure.

The indiana jones games and later (mid 90´s) dark forces and marathon

 

[beejam]

by the time I was using a Mac, I was in college ...... feeling old....

I vote for Kid Pix. Also see if you can find Cyan's early games like The Manhole, Cave of Spelunx, and Cosmic Osmo (my favorite). I think they need hypercard to run though.

 

[jwhMac28]

Oh yeah—Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, anyone?

 

[nnick]

Oregon Trail was it for me. One of only a few things that excited me about going to school in elementary school.

 

[Sdao]

gizmos and gadgets rocked teh shizz

 

[DarthTreydor]

dino park tycoon. that game was awesome.