New ESL Adventure Game – Runaway Train

Ready for a fun ESL game?

It’s been awhile since I put up a new adventure game, not since Pirate Adventure back in August.

Well, here’s one of the last ones I made before my training center fired my ass. This game is really psychological more than anything, and should appeal to those with higher-level students, or teens.

So what is it and how’s it work? Let’s go through some of the slides so you can get an idea.

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You start off in your cabin. Instructions come with the game, but really, you need to explain to students that you just woke up and don’t really remember anything.

As you can see, there are different options, or places they can go. Each of those will take you to another slide, and more choices.

For this game I usually just went through it with the whole class. A few students will take charge, but if you have all of them read the slides out loud it works out pretty good.

Also, this game takes time, maybe 45 to 60 minutes, so moving through it briskly isn’t a bad idea. Having time to talk about it afterward is also a good idea.

Something else that happens is that students get frustrated when they don’t know what to do next. That’s a good time to ask the shyer students what they think.

Sometimes you get lucky and they point out something the others have missed. Other times you just need to give them a clue. Either way, it means you’re killing time and burning up class. And hey – the students are having fu doing it! What’s not to like?

An ESL Game with Choices

Each of the ESL PowerPoint’s slides have choices that appear when you click the mouse. That little star down in the corner appears when there are no more choices. That’s kind of for you, the teacher, so you know when the slide is finished.

See, on some slides you might not want to reveal everything just yet. Let’s explain below.

When you click on a choice you go to that screen. Here it’s the bed, and there’s nothing there. When you see that star you know to go back. Now students will usually choose the WC, or Water/Wash Closet (the bathroom).

In here those first two bullet points appear. If students choose to look around and check things out, I’ll click again and show them that sentence detailing the blood. I try to make them come up with it.

Well, this is interesting, blood – what’s going on? The plot thickens, and you’ll find students are paying attention, on the edge of their seats, and not giving you a headache.

When you look at the table you’ll find breakfast. I ask if anyone wants to eat this, and they usually say yes. I then ask which students, and mark them down.

See, the food is poisoned, and those students die later. I usually give them a few more slides, really until we get down the hallway or maybe to the train’s kitchen, or galley. Yep, then I tell them they’re feeling sick and that they die.

Finally, when you click on the door you’ll be taken out into the hallway. As you can see, there are many choices. Think of them as a long train, going from the front to back. This slide’s right in the middle.

ESL Psychological Adventure Game

There are lots of other cars to explore, and I’ll show just a few slides before detailing the story.

You’ll find things in the game, like in this Storeroom. There are lots of things, like boxes and the shelves. And lo and behold – a key! I wonder what that opens, huh?

I really like the students’ faces when they see this slide. They’ve got lots of options. Most of them are absolutely meaningless, but they don’t know that, and it’s fun watching them figure that out.

Most tables in the dining car will look like this. On this one you find another key. There are about 3 keys in this game. 


I remember one time we were almost to the end, but they didn’t have the key. Well, 5 minute of class left and by golly, they had that key all of a sudden. It’s magic!

I like this slide because students can die. I’ll break out my 10-sided dice for this and let them roll. You can probably do it with a regular die as well. If they get a 1 or 2 they fall off and perish under the wheels of the train. Sorry.

Sometimes they can get into these rubbish cars at the back of the train. Here they find a note. There are several notes in the game, and all of them look something like this:

I crumple those notes up and throw them at a random student to read. Those notes just make them think, but they really mean nothing. What can I say? There’s a lot of red herrings in this game, or what I affectionately refer to as time-killers.

After you finally get all the keys and explore most of the train you’ll come to the engine room. Here you have to put in the right combination of knobs.

I’d usually have something like 2, 7, 9, 4 in that order, but you can make up what you want or follow the game’s instructions. f they didn’t get it they died, which ended the game, here:

Now, if you click on that picture, or one of them, it’ll take you right back to that engine slide. It’s just fun to hear your students groan.

By the time they get the right combination the train stops. But here the story gives its final twist. Instead of saving the day, the police are waiting for you.

Yeah, see, instead of being Mr. Nice Guy, you’re actually The Scorpion – a deadly serial killer that’s been terrorizing Europe.

Yep, this is all in the teacher’s notes, and if you play the game right your students will never see it coming.

And if they’re anything like mine, they’ll be thrown off by this, and a little unhappy. I never did this game enough times, but I have a feeling after they think about it for a few days or a week they’ll get it, appreciate it, and want more.

I’ll let you figure that out for yourself. Try Runaway Train in your ESL Class for $1.99 today!