Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold

In 1992, American Laser Games would release 'The Lost Gold' and it really refined the fun Wild West formula established by the original. The attract reel / trailer really speaks to this. It's still very much a lightgun game, but the polish is substantial. If you enjoyed the first title or this genre of FMV shooters, this is a jump in presentation quality.

You get the return of Mad Dog McCree as the titular villain, but the story is larger, more entertaining. The budget, production values a noticeable step up. You get three guides to choose from to take you thru the story increasing fun factor, replayability and providing bursts of humor. The hunt for treasure and variety in scenery, villains ups the ante here as Ben Zeller returns to be your guide as does the caretaker death scenes with a more humorous spin. The music score adds a bit of energy to the proceedings as well.

Quickdraw events are back in a more dramatic way plus the odd "shoot this object or die" timed objective. It still has the trappings of a railgun FMV shooter however. Innocent people to avoid hitting, bad guy timings / hit boxes and the length is short minus the trial & error of death. It too, of course, was released to death in PC & console ports over time.

Still 'The Lost Gold' nails the western feel and the long tracking shot thru town at the end as you take down the remnants of Mad Dog's gang on the way to the final duel with the man himself is full of atmosphere. They teased a sequel that never came, but ALS kept making titles and returned to its Wild West roots three more times in different titles.

Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold is a live-action laserdisc video game produced by American Laser Games, released for the arcade, Sega CD, 3DO, CD-i and PC.

The plot of the game is simple enough: you must find the gold that's hidden in a cave. You have a choice of three guides to help you reach the treasure. Each of the three will produce different scenarios that the player will encounter. During the course of the game, you will run into trouble in the form of roving desperados, sharpshooters. and other surly characters.

Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold will appeal to anyone who is a fan of arcade, lightgun games or retro games as well as B-movies and Wild West settings, certainly provides even more fun to the lightgun experience of being back at the arcade machines without even having to leave your home; therefore showcasing just how relevant lightgun games still are today.

Rated this 8/10

Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold is a live-action laserdisc video game produced by American Laser Games, released for the arcade, Sega CD, 3DO, CD-i and PC.

The plot of the game is simple enough: you must find the gold that's hidden in a cave. You have a choice of three guides to help you reach the treasure. Each of the three will produce different scenarios that the player will encounter. During the course of the game, you will run into trouble in the form of roving desperados, sharpshooters. And other surly characters.

Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold will appeal to anyone who is a fan of arcade, lightgun games or retro games as well as B-movies and Wild West settings, certainly provides even more fun to the lightgun experience of being back at the arcade machines without even having to leave your home; therefore showcasing just how relevant lightgun games still are today.

Rated this 8/10.