"Gold Rush!" for PC (Sierra, 1988) Quiz

Answer: Your character was hanged as a claim jumper

Floppy disks were very easy to copy. In this era, it was common for game designers to include lengthy rule books. At some point in the game, you were required to answer a question from the book, which would be impossible if you had a pirated copy. The internet put an end to this sort of thing, as it would be easy to post the manual online.

Answer: Brooklyn, New York

You begin the game in your family home in Brooklyn. You receive a letter from your long-lost brother, Jake, informing you that your father passed away in California. But your father died years ago, and is buried right here in New York! And is that a flake of gold under the stamp? What's going on here?

Answer: There's gold in California!

After fourteen minutes of game time, word comes down that President Polk has confirmed the discovery of gold in California. This causes a westward rush. The prices of goods and tickets skyrocket, some stores close, and you'll get less money when you sell your house.

Answer: The fruit

If you do not take the fruit with you on your voyage, you'll die of scurvy. Likewise, you must take the mosquito net to Panama, or you'll die of mosquito-borne illness. You can buy a lot of supplies in New York (including a fifty-pound sack of cow manure), but it's pointless. No matter which route you take, you'll lose everything but your personal papers.

Answer: The 23rd Psalm

The 23rd Psalm gives you a hint as to where to contact Jake: the GREEN PASTURES hotel. The 23rd Psalm is also inscribed on your 'father's' fake tombstone. Holding the envelope from your brother's letter up to the inscription, you read 'ROOM-12-RESERVED-FOR-YOU-ALWAYS.'

Answer: A branding iron

The branding iron is shaped like a horseshoe and key, a hint as to how to enter your brother's mine. Now that you know you're on the right track, use your last dollar to buy a shovel or pan and search for some of the yellow stuff.

Answer: Armed robbery

If you try to take a mule from the pen without the correct brand, then you'll be hanged as a thief. If you are caught in a stranger's hotel room while searching for the hidden room, you'll be hanged as a burglar. If you pan or dig on a screen where someone else is already prospecting, you'll be executed for claim jumping.

The game allows you to type in your last words on the gallows.

Answer: A mule

You'll have to buy your own mule, brand it with your brother's brand, and then take his mule out of the pen (if you do this wrong, you'll be hanged as a thief...thanks, Jake!). Afterward, you let the mule go in the woods and he'll lead you right to your brother's place.

Answer: In the outhouse

Your poor character must climb down through the toilet seat. He actually asks you 'Do I really have to do this?' Once you're down there (good thing you're wearing boots), you find the door to Jake's secret mine.

Answer: A magnet

You'll need to lower a magnet behind the mine's door to secure the key (remember the branding iron design?). You'll then find your brother, right before he hits the mother lode.