Across the USA

One keyboard mistake and you find yourself in South Dakota instead of Kansas. Across the USA is an educational game that simply throws you onto an American map and says: go explore. Of course, it guides you along the way, but any average navigator from the '90s could manage that.

It's a travel simulator with puzzle elements. You traverse the United States, visit various locations, and complete simple tasks — answering trivia questions about geography, history, and the quirks of individual states. The game plays out on a map you control with arrow keys, and everything is pretty text-heavy. The graphics are minimalist, functional rather than beautiful, but that was standard for DOS in 1991.

Playability really depends on your relationship with learning. If you love quizzes and wonder where corn is grown and how many children George Washington had, you'll be humming contentedly. If you're expecting action or something more creatively structured, disappointment is guaranteed. The controls are simple, but every time you enter an answer, you feel like the game could be more interactive. It's no masterpiece of textual engagement.

Back in the '90s, this mainly served as an educational tool in schools and homes. It had its purpose — you'd pick up some knowledge, and that was fine. Today you don't see those playful elements that would have made it fun even without the educational agenda.

Who plays it today? Pretty much just curiosity-seekers—collectors of old DOS games wanting to see how people learned before the internet. You can get through it in an emulator in a few minutes, but the experience isn't monumental. Its real value lies in seeing what educational games looked like back then, rather than in the entertainment factor itself.