Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold

By REX WEINER

American Laser Games; $ 69.95; 3DO. There's a heady feeling that goes along with pointing a pistol at a television set (but don't let the kids see you do it).

Alas, the Gamegun is only loaded for videogames, specifically those from American Laser Games, of which there are two titles currently on the market, "Who Shot Johnny Rock," and "Mad Dog II."

In the case of "Mad Dog II," players plunk away at the bad guys as they jump out from behind stagecoaches and pop up from water troughs.

The story, set against an Old West landscape, involves a lost treasure and several cliche characters users can select to guide them there. The resolution of the live-action footage is just okay, and the acting recalls the performances in "The Great Train Robbery" of the silent film era, which was the last time a movie villain could point a gun at the audience and pretend to mean it.

The impatient player winds up pressing the plastic gun muzzle to the screen and massacring everybody in sight, just to speed the story along. Upon finally reaching Mad Dog's treasure, however, the moment lacks the simple emotional reward that any episode of "Maverick" or even "Bonanza" used to deliver.

With a trusty Gamegun plugged into a 3DO set-top box, any number of familiar faces who crop up onscreen -- pompous evening newscasters, whiny sitcom stars, anyone trying to sell you anything -- could be inviting targets.

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