1980
After MECC began collecting the Apple II versions of its various timeshare programs, including Oregon and many others, they instituted a new method for distributing the Apple II versions of its software to Minnesota schools – by assembling collections of the programs on floppy disks. One of the first releases in 1980 was Elementary Volume 6, containing five social studies simulation games, one of which was OREGON. Elementary Volume 6 soon became MECC’s most popular product for the Apple II. The 1980 version of Oregon was a much simpler game than the 1985 version, lacking many of the features that people now associate with the game. The 1980 version is very similar to the original text-only version that people played on teletype machines in the 1970s. The main feature that distinguishes the 1980 version from its text-only predecessors is that the shooting activities include simple graphics. There is also a crude map available to indicate your progress
