Game Review: California Gold Rush

California Gold Rush by Digital Chocolate, Ltd.

This game brings back drowsy memories of sitting in History class back in high school. I can tell you this much, if I had known mining for gold was as addicting and entertaining as this game is, I certainly would've paid better attention in class!

California Gold Rush takes you back in time a century or so. Play Mandy, a young woman who, like nearly everyone, wanted to strike it rich by uncovering a massive gold vein. With the help of Abe, a store owner who takes a part of your profits in exchange for providing you with explosives, various maps, and supports for tunnels, see how far you can go— and watch your backpack fill with gold!

There are, of course, some things to watch out for. Your stamina bar, for one. Keep a keen eye on it, because once that bar runs out, the level is over, whether you've managed to reach all the mine milestones or not. Also, bats will take a point or two of stamina and $1000 from you each time you run into them (but you can get $500 of that back if you hit them with your pick while they're resting), and if you get caught in a cave-in (Use them supports! Abe will exclaim), or can't get out of the way of a stream of lava (make sure you lead it toward the ice blocks to prevent it from spreading too far and filling up all your hard work with hardened volcanic rock), you'll return to the surface with a reprimand from Abe, not to mention lose some of your precious stamina.

With 30 levels, wonderfully rendered graphics, sound effects, and music— not to mention the unique, streamlined game play I've come to expect from Digital Chocolate, this game is certainly worth its weight in gold. 4.5/5

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