After the success of Superstar Chefs Arcade Lab is back with another great retro game.  In this one, you control a Miner named Joe.  This game is a side scrolling adventure that places you in a mine where you attempt to collect all the pieces of gold that are scattered around without getting killed.  In addition to gold pieces, there are other various items that you will can pick up for more points such as shovels and rifles. 

The miner is armed with an endless supply of rocks that can be used to kill most enemies.  He also has dynamite that is useful in both killing enemies and, if used correctly, can help you find hidden items in the ground such as extra lives.

Gold Miner Joe sports very nice multi-level parallax scrolling graphics that present a lot of depth in the game.  There is certainly no question that the game looks good.  The sound isn't quite as catchy as you find in Superstar chefs, but works well enough for the game.  The point where the game really scores high in my book is the play control.  This is a game that I felt connected to the second I put it in.  I think I only missed one jump the whole game as I was in total control over what my character was doing at all times. 

I started the game thinking it would play a lot like Super Mario Bros., and there certainly is that element to it, however at the end I felt it played a little more like Rolling Thunder, with me ducking to avoid bullets fired from barrels.  In the end the game is as nice as it looks. Though it doesn't present an adventure that is as captivating as Charlie II, the well presented, polished game will certainly captivate many players.