Gilligan's Gold Longplay (C64) [50 FPS]
43Developed and published by Ocean Software in 1984.
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There's gold in them thar' hills and Gilligan is on a mission to grab as much of it from the underground mines as possible before hauling it top-side and bundling into his wheelbarrow, ready for a swift getaway.
As Gilligan, the player must locate each of the gold bags in the mine and haul them back to the wheelbarrow located at the top of the screen. Putting gold into the barrow resets the 'Bonus' score back to 4000 points, although the the bonus is actually a timer that will cost you a life should it reach zero.
If hauling heavy loads back to the surface weren't bad enough, a pair of outlaws are out to get Gilligan and take the gold for themselves. The miscreants will follow Gilligan around and will climb ladders and use the elevators in order to catch our hero. Fortunately, they can be temporarily stunned by dropping a bag of on their heads, hitting them with a pick axe or falling down holes through their own stupidity. Trying to get a bag of gold back to the barrow before the timer reaches zero can be very tricky, especially with the bags located at the bottom of the mine.
The mine itself is set across three screens that can be accessed by walking to the far left or right of the screen. The barrow can be pushed across screens, which does make things somewhat easier than trying to pull the loot back to the barrow all the time. Actually getting the bags into the barrow can be a real fiddle however as you have to be in just the right position for it to work. If the barrow is on the edge of a hole then you'll end up dropping the bag down the hole by mistake, costing you precious seconds and possibly losing the game.
Mine carts trundle along certain shafts and will cost Gilligan a life if he gets run down. Hooks in the ceiling can be grabbed to avoid the carts (the game has no jump) and it's even possible to hitch a ride on one by dropping on top of it whilst suspended from said hook.
With it's aquatic blue graphics, massive sprites and Ragtime-themed music there's a certain charm about Gilligan's Gold. It might look primitive by today's standards, but it's quite a devious game that has more about it than first meets the eye; a fun game to while away a rainy afternoon!
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