Gold Rush! | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Sierra On-Line |
Publisher(s) | Sierra On-Line The Software Farm Sunlight Games |
Designer(s) | Ken MacNeill Doug MacNeill |
Programmer(s) | Ken MacNeill |
Artist(s) | Robert Eric Heitman Doug MacNeill |
Composer(s) | Anita Scott |
Engine | AGI |
Platform(s) | Amiga, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Apple II, Mac |
Release | 1988 |
Genre(s) | Adventure game |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gold Rush! (later retitled California: Gold Rush!) [1] is a graphic adventure video game designed by Doug and Ken MacNeill and originally released by Sierra On-Line in 1988.
Gold Rush! is one of the last games that Sierra made with the AGI interface and is one of the most complicated. The rights to the game are currently owned and published by The Software Farm by its original developers the MacNeills. [1]
The game is set in 1848, just before the California Gold Rush. The player is Brooklyn newspaperman Jerrod Wilson, who soon receives word that he must go to Sacramento to meet his long-lost brother. After a few minutes of gameplay, word arrives that gold has been found in California, and it becomes much more difficult for Jerrod to settle his affairs in Brooklyn and find a way to Sacramento.
There are multiple paths which Jerrod can take to get to his brother. He can travel on a stagecoach, which is the cheapest path, and the only path that is always available to Jerrod, no matter how long he spends in Brooklyn. This path brings Jerrod into contact with Native Americans, unruly oxen, parching deserts, and the likelihood of a winter storm in the Sierra Nevada. He can also travel by ship to Panama, cross through treacherous swamps and jungles on foot, and then catch another ship to Sacramento. This route is more expensive than the others and also requires Jerrod to prepare carefully for many hazards of the tropical climate of Panama, from malaria to jungle ants to crocodiles. The third and most time-consuming path is to journey all the way around Cape Horn on a ship. This choice has its own perils, from storms to scurvy. On each route, Jerrod can perish at random by a disease for which there is not yet any cure, such as cholera, making it prudent for players to save their game whenever possible and in multiple slots. Once Jerrod arrives in Sacramento, the three routes converge and all of the puzzles are the same. In California, Jerrod must try to prospect for gold, avoid bandits, and locate his mysterious brother.
Gold Rush! uses words from the book California Gold: Story of the Rush to Riches by Lou and Phyllis Zauner, which came with the game as a form of copy protection. If the player fails to enter the correct word at a certain point during the game, their character is immediately arrested for claim jumping and hanged on the gallows, which is the same as the regular in-game punishment for claim jumping, being caught in someone's hotel room, or stealing.
In 1989, Dragon gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars. [2] Computer Gaming World gave the game a positive review, noting it mixes historical simulation with Sierra's traditional adventure gameplay. [3] Compute! called Gold Rush "entertaining, somewhat educational, and a terrific escapade for first-time adventure game players", but warned that its simplicity might disappoint veteran gamers and that the graphics were inferior to that of some other Sierra adventures. [4]
In 2011, Adventure Gamers named Gold Rush! the 96th-best adventure game ever released. [5]
The Software Farm released a collector's edition of California: Gold Rush! in a wooden box in 2000. They also released an economy pack with just the game in an envelope. [1]
German game developer Sunlight Games secured the rights and re-released the original version in July 2014. [15] A remake with the name Gold Rush! Anniversary was released in November of the same year for Microsoft Windows, [16] OS X and Linux. The ports for iOS and Android were released in March 2015. All graphics are pre-rendered, but all animations and characters are displayed in real-time 3D. The game's graphics are in high definition and the music was remade. All text from the original game was optimized with newly recorded voiceovers. The game can be controlled by a point-and-click control or with a parser (only Windows, Linux and Mac), which is similar to the old Sierra games which use the AGI interface. [17] Gold Rush! 2 was released in April 2017 as a sequel to Gold Rush! Anniversary. [18]
Sunlight Games has also released a Special Edition which is limited to 350 copies. The Special Edition comes in a box with a banderole, and the content of the box is similar to the old Sierra boxes is: a copy of the game on a DRM-free DVD, a poster, a card with the serial number, a printed making-of booklet, a printed booklet with concept drawings, and a golden-colored coin. Gold Rush! The Special Edition can only be ordered at Sunlight Games' online shop.
Adventure Gamers gave the remake 1½ stars out of 5. [19] Just Adventure gave the game a rating of B−. [17] 3rd-strike gave the game a 7.0. [20]
Battleships is the international title of a video game based on the classic board game. The object is to sink the opponent's entire fleet without him sinking the player's fleet first.
Artworx was a Naples, Florida software company that produced and supported a line of computer games from 1981 to 2015. It is named after the founder's given name. At first the company published a variety of games, including titles in adventure and arcade-action genres, but were later best known for a strip poker series.
Trailblazer is a racing video game developed by Mr. Chip Software and published by Gremlin Graphics for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit computers, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16 and Plus/4 in 1986. It was ported to the Amiga and Atari ST.
Gateway to the Savage Frontier (1991) is a Gold BoxDungeons & Dragons computer game developed by Beyond Software and published by SSI for the Commodore 64, PC and Amiga personal computers.
Hard Nova is a role-playing video game developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Electronic Arts in 1990 for DOS, Amiga and Atari ST. It is a follow-up to Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic.
Barbarian is a 1987 platform game by Psygnosis. It was first developed for the Atari ST, and was ported to the Amiga, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. The Amiga port was released in 1987; the others were released in 1988. The cover artwork is by fantasy artist Roger Dean.
Black Gold is a business simulation game released in 1989 by reLINE Software.
World Tour Golf is a 1986 video game by Evan and Nicky Robinson, Paul Reiche III and published by Electronic Arts for Commodore 64, Amiga, Apple IIGS, and DOS.
Mines of Titan is a single-player role-playing video game, developed by Westwood Associates, and released by Infocom in 1989 for Apple II, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS.
The Kristal is an adventure game first released in 1989 for the Amiga computer. It was later released for the Atari ST and MS-DOS. It was developed by the UK-based company Fissionchip Software, and published in Europe by Addictive Games and in the US by Cinemaware. Unusually for a video game, the game is based on a play, The Kristal of Konos, written in 1976; the authors of the play worked together with the game developers and the play was never shown in theatres or on film before the game's release. A dialog introducing the setting was recorded by Patrick Moore, who introduced both the game and play.
Iron Lord is an adventure video game developed by Orou Mama and Ivan Jacot for the Atari ST and published by Ubi Soft in 1989. It was ported to the Amiga, Acorn Archimedes, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and MS-DOS.
Overlord is a combat flight simulator by Rowan Software. It was released in 1994 for Amiga and PC MS-DOS platforms.
Dream Zone is an adventure game developed by JAM Software and published by Baudville. It was released in 1988 for the Apple II and Apple IIGS, followed by versions for MS-DOS, the Amiga, and the Atari ST.
Eye of Horus is a computer game published in 1989 by Fanfare for the Amiga.
Pacific Islands is a computer game published by Empire Interactive in 1992 for the MS-DOS, Amiga and Atari ST. It is the sequel to the 1987 video game, Team Yankee.
Spy vs. Spy III: Arctic Antics is the third game in the Spy vs. Spy series. The game was developed by First Star Software.
Ports of Call is a 1986 business simulation game developed by German duo Rolf-Dieter Klein and Martin Ulrich, and published by Aegis Interactive Entertainment. It was initially released for AmigaOS. After a subsequent early release for DOS it was also made available to a number of different platforms over the years, including Windows, iOS, Android and as a browser game.
Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon is a 1987 video game published by Accolade and developed by Canadian studio Artech.
Global Effect is a 1992 video game published by EA/Millennium Interactive.
Méwilo is a 1987 French adventure video game by Coktel Vision.