Amazon Trail, The

The Amazon Trail is an educational adventure game that was released in the 1990s. The game was created by MECC and was created because of the success of the game Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail is the most popular game in the MECC Trail series but the Amazon trail is a far more difficult game than the Oregon Trail.
You will be told in a dream that the people living in the areas surrounding the Amazon River are endangered by Malaria and European explorers. You are then brought back in time, and will have to explore the Amazon. As in the other games in the Trail series, you will have to survive your trip in the areas surrounding the Amazon River. You will choose a guide at the start of the game and this guide will provide you with many useful information.
You will interact with people around the river and not all of them will be friendly. You can trade with them so that you can get the things that you need. You can also get valuable information from the people which you can use in the game. You will also take photos and try to identify the various flora and fauna that you will see as you go along your trip. There are also plenty of mini-quests to keep you interested in the game. You will need to find gifts that you can bring to the Inca King when you reach the hidden city.
There are enough challenges in the game but the best parts of the game will be when you get to a town and can get to interact with the people. One of the biggest challenges you will have to face in the game is the possibility of dying from diseases.
The graphics are mediocre and the story line is pretty linear but the game is still capable of providing enjoyment to gamers. Although the target market for the game is those in the grade school age, this game is better played by teens to adults because of the difficulty of the game. There is a tendency for young players to become frustrated with the game.
If you enjoy this game, you can also download the two sequels: the Amazon Trail II and the Amazon Trail 3rd edition. It’s likely you will also enjoy the Oregon Trail Download and the other games from the Trail series. Download this game now and give it a try. You might enjoy the challenges that this game dishes out.

Written by: ~dorento1

The Amazon Trail is a continuation of the series that began with the Oregon Trail which is shown in the gameplay. However, there's enough to make this quite a different game from the original.

The game's all about you, an explorer currently in the Amazon transported back in time to aid the Incan civilization against malaria. You start off at the mouth of the Amazon, in a town where you get a boat and supplies. Your job is to find your way down the Amazon in order to find information about the Incas. Along the way, just like in Oregon Trail, you can hunt (well, fish with a harpoon actually, but there is a great similarity to the Oregon Trail) and buy supplies as you go. At certain times along your journey, you will pass through the mists of time which allow you to meet historic figures that will teach you something pertinent to your location or task. You will also be expected to photograph and identify certain plants and animals that you photograph in this wilderness. Everything you do factors into a grade that you receive for your performance.

Most obvious are the graphic differences between this and the Oregon Trail. Sure, there are some similarities, like the map that details your path. But gone is the long, wide image at the top of the game screen that depicts weather, scenery, and the like. Instead, you see your character, in a boat, in a river. There is a pseudo-3D look, but even back then it wasn't much to gawk at. In towns and in encounters with other people, the 2D sprites are replaced with videos of real people super-positioned over the scenery. Honestly, it doesn't really work that well. Also in towns, the backgrounds are far more detailed than in the Oregon Trail, and they're done very well.

Like the Oregon Trail, the game is mostly mouse-controlled. You use the mouse top navigate menus, hunt, and take photographs. It all works very smoothly, and it's not overly complicated or counterintuitive.
The sound is likewise pretty good. The music, despite its eventual annoyance, is about as well done as any other game of the time period. The sound effects aren't horrible either. The voice acting, however, isn't the best. I hated sitting through some of the longer talks, more akin to speeches than conversation with their style. Nothing amazing, but nothing bad. Just passable.

Overall, the game was pretty fun, but it got old fast. I felt like I was doing the same thing as Oregon Trail, but with a different look to it. Not only that, but you hunt the same way the whole game, you take the same pictures over and over again, and the visitations by people of the past just becomes too overtly educational. By the end, you're just glad to finish it. The replay value of the original just isn't there, either. I'd say it's worth a try, but that's about all it deserves.

Written by: ~imreader