A strange little side quest
Tom and Jerry Finding the Cheese has plenty of company in a long tradition of players chasing timing, patterns and better decisions. The first crossword puzzle book appeared in 1924 in a cautious initial printing of 3,600 copies, complete with a free pencil. There is another connection worth keeping in the same mental pocket: The Oregon Trail began in 1971 when three student teachers created a computer simulation to help Minnesota schoolchildren learn American history. That long chain of experiments is part of why puzzles still feels fresh when a game finds the right twist.
