Here is a great game review of the original Oregon Trail that many of us Gen-Xers played on the Apple II. It comes from a pair of students in the game design program at William Annin Middle School in Basking Ridge, NJ.
The reviewers take viewers through the interface, game controllers, and game play. For being just in middle school, credit goes to the reviewers for not spending any time on just ripping the game to shreds. In fact these guys are actually pretty complimentary.
"A big part of the game is that it is really realistic," one of them states in the opening overview. "Everyone in your party could actually die."
One great part comes when playing the game, the students are notified of a family member dying of typhoid. "We'll just continue like we know what that is," one remarks.
The part that does my heart the best though is the reviewers enthusiastically showing the audience how to hunt for food. It's great to see that 35 years and generations of players later, it's still a favorite part of the game.
Great work guys! I really enjoyed it.