Overview
Despite the title, Amazon Trail 3rd Edition is a remake of Amazon Trail II. The title was developed and published by The Learning Company, a company that specializes in educational software for children. An adventure title, the player navigates the Amazon River, and through time travel, meets several figures in history, and learns how their influence shapes the region today.
Gameplay
The player navigates their canoe along the Amazon River, while avoiding obstacles that can capsize their boat and keeping stocked with supplies. At certain points along the river, the player can stop and explore a specific location, going back in time to interact with a famous person that the site is known for. One example is traveling to Henry Ford's rubber tree plantation, and learning about the car mogul's plans for the Amazon.
Controversy
In he summer of 2000, General Mills partnered with The Learning Company, and other companies, to have select boxes of cereal contain one of five different titles. Four of the five titles, one of them being Amazon Trail 3rd Edition, contained an unadvertised copy of Zondervan Publishing House's Holy Bible and prompted the user to register the product with them. It was not until the software was installed on a computer did the user know that is was the Bible. This led accusations that General Mills was tricking children into reading the Bible.
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