Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep- ahhhh shark! Pretty much the Odell Down Under experience. Unless you were the one playing the shark, then it’s just frustration over trying to click a fish and hitting coral behind them instead. A classic education game, Odell was found on school and family computers all over North America back when it came out in 1995.
Much like The Oregon Trail, Odell Down Under was developed by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium or MECC and published by SoftKey. You can see our article on The Oregon Trail here. Also, like The Oregon Trail, Odell Down Under came out a decade after its previous and incredibly graphically limited 1st game, Odell Lake. An educational game, Odell Down Under revolves around playing as one of many sea creatures in the great barrier reef as you try to survive by avoiding predators and finding the right prey for your species.
Odell Down Under came with multiple game modes. There was a challenge mode, where you must earn enough points to go on to a fish higher up the food chain in a group of four. Also, tournament mode where you climb through the entire species list, from the weakest fish to the strongest in one go. Then the Create-A-Fish mode where you can custom design your own fish to conquer the seas.
What I remember most about Odell Down Under from playing as a kid was the random clicking on different foods when I didn’t recognize what my fish ate. For being an educational game, I don’t think I learned much from Odell Down Under outside of that sharks can eat anything. Despite that, I still enjoyed coming back to the game for a short playthrough and to reminisce on some old childhood memories. Plus, it does have some cool facts and tidbits about the animals of the great barrier reef. You can never stop learning, so for those who remember Odell Down Under, throw some shrimp on the barbie!
Odell Down Under is available on Microsoft Windows and Classic Mac OS.
