A strange little side quest
The rules may be simple on screen, but the backstory around Riddle School is anything but tiny. The Oregon Trail eventually appeared across generations of computer hardware and sold tens of millions of copies, making it one of the most enduring educational games. The broader history adds one more wrinkle. By 1987, fantasy role-playing had become a major computer-game direction, with Zelda, licensed Dungeons & Dragons games and other story-led adventures expanding the form. So a round of Riddle School is not just a quick distraction; it is a tiny stop on a much longer learning games timeline.
