Look, I’m old. I went to elementary school back in Canada at a time when the Apple II ruled. I’m no stranger to the likes of Number Munchers and The Oregon Trail, but my favourite educational game of all time is Cross Country Canada. I’d like to introduce it to you right now.
If you’re unfamiliar, Cross Country Canada places you in the shoes of a trucker responsible for hauling loads all across the Great White North. An exercise in resource management, Cross Country Canada also is a great way to get to learn about Canada’s geography.
Thanks to the Internet Archive, the MS-DOS classic can be played in-browser, and we’ve got it below for you to try out. You’ll also need the extensive list of text-based commands to get by. If you stop by Saskatoon, SK, say hi to my folks.
Enjoy (with thanks to Access Winnipeg)!
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| AND | Links commands together |
| C (continue) | Moves the truck in the same direction it was going. |
| D (down) | Driver steps out of the truck |
| DA | View dashboard |
| DAY | Shows how many days you’ve been on the road |
| EAT | Eat at a restaurant. Costs $10 a shot. |
| EX | Shows expenses. |
| FILL UP | Fills up your gas tank. |
| GET [commodity name here] | Gets the commodity if you are in a city that has it. |
| H (Health) | Lets you know if your trucker needs to eat or sleep |
| I (inventory) | Shows the date, all commodities you picked up, your final destination, and the next commodity you need (if applicable) |
| L (look) | Gives a description of the surroundings |
| LM | Local Map. Shows the current Prov/Territory. |
| N, S, E, W (and all combos) | moves the truck in that direction. |
| PICK UP HITCHHIKER | If you see a hitchhiker on the side of the road and want to pick him up, then stop the truck (press enter) and type this. |
| PM | Political Map. Shows the whole map of Canada. |
| PUT ON SEATBELT | What you should do when you get into any vehicle. |
| QUIT | Quits the game. |
| RADIO FOR HELP | Use when you get into an accident or run out of gas. |
| RESTORE | loads a previous game. |
| SAVE | Saves a game. |
| SCRIPT | Prints a transcript of the game |
| SLEEP | Sleep in your truck for 8 hours. |
| SLEEP IN HOTEL | Sleep in a hotel for 8 hours. Costs $30. |
| SPEED | If you want to be a speed demon and make the truck go faster. Causes accidents and the cops may come after you. |
| T | Turns the truck on/off |
| T ON LIGHTS | Turns on headlights. Use T OFF LIGHTS to turn off. |
| T ON WIPERS | Turns on wipers. Use T OFF WIPERS to turn off. |
| U | Gets the trucker back in the truck. |
| UNSCRIPT | Stops printing your game. |
| WAIT | Makes an hour go by. |
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