Gold Runner is a clone of Lode Runner (from Broderbund Software (before they themselves briefly entered the Coco market))... a game that was available on many platforms, from the IBM PC to the Apple II. This was one of the first commercial games that Dave Dies did for the Coco, and predates the formation of Diecom Products (a company he ran). The object in the game is to grab all of the gold bars, and escape to the next level, while dodging (or digging holes for them to fall into) the guards. There are 33 levels in all.
Like the original, there are bricks that can't be dug into, poles to climb across, ladders to climb up and down, secret trapdoors and the like. One neat effect that both the original and this version had is that the screens are drawn in a circular fashion... filling out from the middle of the screen until the whole screen was drawn. A side note: Novasoft was a Tom Mix Software subsiduary that sold commercial quality games for cheaper prices than most companies did at the time.
Title: Gold Runner
Author: Dave Dies
Publisher: Novasoft (Tom Mix Software)
Released: 1984-1985
Requires: Color Computer 1,2,3, 64K RAM tape or disk, joystick optional.
Download GLDRUNNR.BIN. Type LOADM "GLDRUNNR" and then EXEC to run. NOTE: This hacked version does not keep high scores, and the opening credits are wrong.