| Goldfields | |
| Developer: | Jacaranda Software |
| Publisher: | Jacaranda Software |
Goldfields is a computer game for children which simulates 'life on the diggings' during a 19th-century gold rush. Beginning with a concept by Trevor Jacob, it was developed and published by Jacaranda Software in Australia in 1986.[1] It was first released for Apple II, BBC Micro, Commodore 64[2] and IBM compatible systems. The first Macintosh version was later developed using Hypercard.[3] The original Goldfields package contained a disk, teacher's guide, four black-line masters and a copy of A Goldfields Journal or A Guide to Prospective Gold Seekers. A review in Australian Educational Computing magazine described it as 'a particularly useful package, adaptable to a number of levels in both upper primary and secondary social science classes.'[4] The game also received a favourable review from the Australian Journal of Reading in 1986.[5] Despite its age, Goldfields remains well regarded as a mining-themed economic simulator with integrated action sequences.[6]
Due to its ongoing popularity with children and educators, it was rewritten from scratch for Windows XP and Macintosh OSX by Greygum Software in 2007,[7] who bought the rights to the title after Jacaranda Software's closure in the early 1990s.
An emulated version is available to play on archive.org.