Black Gold is a business strategy simulation game developed by Starbyte. The original game was developed for PC by the team of Holger Beisheim, Peter Bente, Maik Dunzig, and Ingo Mesche, and it was released in 1991. Swiss developer René Straub converted the game to Amiga with the help of Maik Dunzig, and Ingo Mesche. It was released in 1992. Versions for the Atari ST and C64 were also sold. The game's structure was similar to Winzer (1990), released the previous year. However, the business topic was very different: not cultivating wine, but mining coal. In Black Gold, players work as coal miners and try to build a coal empire. The game begins in 1900 and ends in 1933. One round of the game is equivalent to one month in real time. You start with a small amount of money and use it to buy workers and materials for your coal mining career. You can choose from three difficulty levels (easy, normal, or hard) and several objectives: reaching a predetermined cash or coal limit or playing for a chosen number of months. You can also sabotage your opponents by causing mine disasters, demoralizing the workers, and creating havoc.

Amiga Joker (1992/4, p. 41) praises the game as a profound economic simulation in terms of its historical background, realism, and depth of play. In 1900, up to four screen buddies are called upon to found a coal mine and make money month after month. After visiting the bank, players can invest their newly borrowed wealth in a mining field, a drilling tower, tools, and personnel. Then, round after round, coal is extracted while the mine—including the tower, shafts, and tunnels—is visible in cross-section. On another screen, miners extract the coal from the rock, and support material and transportation must be provided. Lastly, the black gold must be turned into cash. However, this is not possible abroad between 1914 and 1918, as the First World War rages. The economic simulation gets around 75% ratings in several magazines.

Amiga Joker states somewhat snidy that “there isn't a graphic extravaganza here, but at least the occasional historical digital photos provide some variety. The mouse always has the icon mining under control, and the keyboard also performs well underground. […] Complexity is not an issue, nor is understanding the subject matter, thanks to the excellent manual.” Indeed, the manual is extensive, with 48 pages and well done with good descriptions and small iconic illustrations that explain elements and functions fairly well.

Many of the tasks in Black Gold become a bit repetitive and boring over time. Since you cannot automate anything, you have to repeatedly perform the same actions. “You can throw a party for your workers or pay them a bonus to improve morale and reduce the number of sick days, but it's not very effective.” (GoodOldDays 2006) But in the world of business, there is always a different approach. For players looking to get rich quickly, there's an alternative to banking coal: trading equipment. “Prices change every month. For example, you can buy equipment for 28 marks in January and sell it for 40 marks in February. Invest your money in loans, and by 1910, you will have a couple of million in your account. The interest alone can easily finance a full-fledged mine.” (GoodOldDays 2006)