Saddle up ‘pardner’ and let’s set out for an adventure in the old west. Saddle up is exactly what you get to do in this western text adventure however your four legged companion is a mule rather than a horse. The Lost Dutchman’s Gold was written by Teri Li (a pseudonym for Terry Kepner). There are a couple of unique firsts introduced with this adventure. It is the first western adventure that we’ve seen (the popular motifs besides fantasy have been pirates and haunted houses) and secondly the game’s narrator uses dialect first made popular by Mark Twain.
The narrative is filled with Ya and Yer and Y’all throughout the story as the narrator, the ghost of back-packer Sam, acts as your guide throughout the adventure. In another interesting and unique plot twist, later in the story you’ll discover a pile of bones and you realize then that the bones are the narrator’s bones or the bones of back-packer Sam.
If you dig through your saddlebags you can find a way to lead the mule around which will help ease the chore of inventory management. I have to admit though that I found leading the mule around to be tiresome and I eventually left the mule behind. The locations and backdrop are unique in this western theme however it is not very difficult and it does involve a treasure hunt.
Be aware that once you find the hidden entrance to the mines and have a light source in hand that there is a room in the small complex which acts as a trap. If you enter that room you’re not getting out. It is not too big of a deal to restart and begin again but be aware that there does exist a room of no escape.
If you’re having trouble finding a light source be sure to leave no stone or bones unturned. You’ll want to be sure to bring the shovel with you into the mines because you’ll have to dig for one of the treasures and you’ll also want to bring the key with you so that you can make your way out of the escape tunnel to your shack.
The four treasures that you have to find are listed above and you have to leave them in the saloon. The parser was odd where the treasures were concerned. No matter how hard I tried I could not seem to pick up or manipulate the SPANISH COINS. However if I typed *SPANISH COINS* just like you see it there then the game recognized it. I found that to be rather odd and it was the first time I had encountered anything like that.
I found Lost Dutchman’s Gold to be a pleasant enough experience. I believe it was the introduction of a western motif that did it for me. I was not thrilled to participate in another treasure hunt but the game was just long enough and did not overstay its welcome. I spent approximately two hours with Lost Dutchman’s Gold. Now if ya’ll will excuse me I’ve got ter go rustle me up some grits! Where in tarnation did I park that damn mule?