A historical game based on the gold rush of the late 1840s, Gold Rush! allowed the player to travel from his life in New York to a new one in California either via Panama, around Cape Horn, or via the Oregon Trail. When the paths converged at Fort Sutter, the game was not even half over, so the originality and difference that existed during the center of the game was eliminated, and since you get practically all of the same objects during the three trips, there was never a real reason to pick one over another. Despite that, and the essentially throw-away plot that involved a few out-of-place puzzles that seemed to better fit into a fantasy or mystery game, this was not a bad game for younger children or more experienced players who don't want too much of a challenge.