Hysterical History Lessons!!!
I have to admit, I was never very interested in history back in high school. It was only once in college that I started to see how the past is such a great predictor of future. Whether you're interested in a specific time period, have an passion for factoids, or just like a bit of romantic nostalgia about eras you never knew, it makes for some fun reading and gaming.
If you love sim games, like Virtual Villagers, you will be really impressed by Westward II: Heroes of the Frontier. It's a lot of fun to build up this tiny, wild west world, and manage the period-suitable crisis. It's a very involved simulation, but if you don't mind the learning curve (with a tutorial), it offers a lot more depth and game play hours than most casual games. You need to always balance your resources, and make sure to keep settlers happy or else they'll leave. The resources are pretty important for building luxuries that keep people happy, plus filling basic needs, so its a good idea to prioritize them.
If you don't mind a bit of fibbing – okay, let's call them generous history rewrites -- Hidden Mysteries - Civil War does a good job of setting up Civil War battlegrounds. It's a short and difficult hidden object game, but if you're a history buff with good eyesight, it has some interesting facts and visuals.
And speaking of hidden object games, it's also neat to check out Enigma. While its not the strongest hidden object game, it focuses entirely on masterpieces from the Renaissance through the 20th century. If art history is your thing, you'll find it easier than most, since most of the tasks involve removing items that don't belong in the paintings, and then adding back items which do belong. Cool beans.
We haven't even discussed the political simulation game Democracy, or the variety of hidden object games like Escape the Museum, The History Channel Lost Worlds, Curse of the Pharaoh: The Quest for Nefertiti, Hawaiian Explorer: Pearl Harbor, or Amazing Adventures: The Lost Tomb. If match 3 is more your thing, Ashley Jones and the Heart of Egypt is cute with a nifty theme.
Happy Gaming! Your history teacher would be proud.
Lisa
Comments