As soon as personal computers went the mainstream route back in the late 1970s, adult buyers of PCs (read: parents) began wondering how they could use the new high-tech tools to teach their children.
The prospect of a new educational implementation was intriguing (if not justification for purchase). With the promise of advancing education, schools, too, began buying personal computers by the ton and setting them up in classrooms. To serve the educational market, as well as a strong home market, software publishers began developing dozens of educational game titles during this early part of this era.
Due to an early push by Steve Jobs (once again, the man was ahead of the industry), Apple gained a strong foothold in the educational PC market in the early 1980s. Before long, you could find Apple II computers in just about every school in the United States. This made Apple's platform an attractive target for software developers, who often created their educational games for Apple's platform first. Later, publishers would translate the titles to other computer systems, such as the IBM PC, Commodore 64, and the Atari 800. (That said, many educational titles also originated on every computer platform available at the time.)
In the list below, we've spotlighted 10 popular titles from the golden age of educational PC games. By no means is this a complete list. So, when you're done reading through the piece, feel free to discuss your favorite educational PC games and share your memories in the comments section below.
(This story was first published on Jan. 22, 2012.)
1. Number Munchers (1986)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh
MECC created an educational classic with Number Munchers, which merges gameplay reminiscent of Pac-Man with simple mathematics. In the game, the player must jump from square to square while "munching" the proper answers to the math question posed at the top of the screen (which is different on each level). All the while, the player must also avoid enemies who try to prevent the green muncher's success.
2. Reader Rabbit (1986)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh
Reader Rabbit first taught kids to spell and read in 1986, with a package of educational mini-games for popular computers of the time. Most of the mini-games, like the Word Train seen here, challenged the player to fill in missing letters, completing simple words in the process. Over the years, The Learning Company added more titles to the Reader Rabbit series, which continues today.
3. MasterType (1982)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC
Many educational games of the 1980s sought to teach typing skills, with varying levels of success. One of the most effective and entertaining attempts could be found in MasterType, which combined a sort of space shooter feel with typing skills. You play as a UFO in the center of the screen that must fend off approaching aliens by quickly typing the words associated with them before they reach your ship. If you fail, well, your UFO blows up, of course. Aliens hate poor typists.
4. Rocky's Boots (1982)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, IBM PC
In Rocky's Boots, you play as a simple square (really) that moves between rooms. Each room poses a different challenge, which you must solve by building circuits using logic gates and other virtual electronic-like components. The ultimate goal of each puzzle is to build a "kicking machine" that can kick a colored block when activated. It's exactly as difficult as it sounds, although players, teachers, and critics alike loved it at the time.
5. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (1985)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC
Some folks may remember Carmen Sandiego best as the subject of a popular kids' game show from the early 1990s. But the character and the franchise all started with this Broderbund title in 1985. In it, players must track down the cunning thief Carmen Sandiego by following various clues left scattered around the world. To succeed, you have to know certain things about world cultures and geography. The game was very successful, spawning sequels set in the US, through time, and more.
6. Stickybear ABC (1984)
Popular Platforms: Atari 800, Commodore 64, Apple II
The Stickybear character originated as an illustrated mascot for Weekly Reader magazine, but soon he began starring in a line of educational software titles. One of these titles, Stickybear ABC, teaches exactly what you'd expect it to teach—the alphabet—by showing illustrated screens related to words that begin with the letter in question. Players select the letter they want to see simply by typing it on the keyboard.
7. Odell Lake (1986)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, Commodore 64
In Odell Lake, you play as one of six species of fish who must make his/her way through the lake and survive. On your way, you encounter various challenges in the form of other creatures, which you can eat, chase away, ignore, or escape from. Whether you survive for another round or get eaten depends on how you wisely choose. Just remember that otters always eat fish, and you'll be okay.
8. Typo Attack (1982)
Popular Platforms: Atari 800
Typing meets Space Invaders in Type Attack, but instead of pushing buttons on a joystick, you have to shoot the aliens by pressing the right keys on the keyboard. Each alien lines up with a letter at the bottom of the screen, and you must type the right key at the right time to avoid impending doom. It was written by a 17-year-old programmer named David Buehler, who won $25,000 in an Atari talent contest looking for new software.
9. FaceMaker (1983)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, Commodore 64, Coleco Adam
FaceMaker could be described as a Mr. Potato Head in software, where the player can reconfigure a blank face with various sets of pre-made eyes, noses, mouths, and ears. When you're done, you can animate the face, print it out, or save it to disk. It's an amazingly fun little game for its simplicity that no doubt inspired many children(Opens in a new window) to become plastic surgeons when they grew up.
10. The Oregon Trail (1982)
Popular Platforms: Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh
"Betty has cholera." Those timeless words should sound familiar to countless American school kids who played this classic educational title between the 1980s and early 1990s. The Oregon Trail simulated American pioneer life in the mid-1800s as a family struggles to make its way across the wilderness of the untamed U.S. territories. Along the way, the player must manage his or her family's resources while hunting for food, crossing treacherous rivers, and fending off disease. It's an epic journey that one can feel proud of completing—that is, if you manage to make it all the way to Oregon before the end of your computer lab time.
Get Our Best Stories!
Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
