OPTION

     THIS  OPTION  AND THE SHARES OF COMMON  STOCK  ISSUABLE  UPON THE  EXERCISE
HEREOF HAVE NOT BEEN  REGISTERED  UNDER  EITHER THE SECURI TIES ACT OF 1933 (THE
"ACT") OR APPLICABLE  STATE  SECURITIES LAWS (THE "STATE ACTS") AND SHALL NOT BE
SOLD, PLEDGED,  HYPOTHECATED,  DONATED, OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED (WHETHER OR NOT
FOR  CONSIDER  ATION) BY THE HOLDER  EXCEPT UPON THE  ISSUANCE TO THE COMPANY OF
FAVORABLE  OPINION OF COUNSEL OR  SUBMISSION  TO THE COMPANY OF SUCH EVIDENCE AS
MAY BE SATISFACTORY TO COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY,  IN EACH SUCH CASE, TO THE EFFECT
THAT ANY SUCH TRANSFER SHALL NOT BE IN VIOLATION OF THE ACT AND THE STATE ACTS.

                OPTION TO PURCHASE 150,000 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK

                         FISCHER-WATT GOLD COMPANY, INC.
                             (A Nevada Corporation)
                     Not Transferable or Exercisable Except
                        upon Conditions Herein Specified
                          Void after 5:00 O'Clock P.M.,
                        Pacific Time, on August 31, 2003

     Fischer-Watt  Gold  Company,  Inc., a Nevada  corporation  (the  "Company")
hereby  certifies that Rick Lundgren or his registered  successors and permitted
assigns,  registered on the books of the Company maintained for such purposes as
the registered holder hereof (the "Holder"),  for value received, is entitled to
purchase from the Company the number of fully paid and non-assessable  shares of
Common Stock of the Company, of the par value of $.001 per share (the "Shares"),
stated above at the purchase price of $.22 per Share (the "Exercise Price") (the
number of Shares and Exercise  Price being subject to adjustment as  hereinafter
provided) upon the terms and conditions herein provided.

     1. Exercise of Option.

          (a) Subject to subsection (b) of this Section 1, upon presentation and
surrender  of this Option  Certificate,  with the  attached  Purchase  Form duly
executed,  at the  principal  office of the Company at 1621 North Third  Street,
Suite 1000,  Coeur d'Alene,  Idaho 83814,  or at such other place as the Company
may designate by notice to the Holder hereof,  together with a certified or bank
cashier's  check  payable  to the  order of the  Company  in the  amount  of the
Exercise  Price times the number of Shares being  purchased,  the Company  shall
deliver  to  the  Holder  hereof,  as  promptly  as  practicable,   certificates
representing the Shares being  purchased.  This Option may be exercised in whole
or in part;  and, in case of exercise  hereof in part only,  the  Company,  upon
surrender hereof,  will deliver to the Holder a new Option Certificate or Option
Certificates of like tenor entitling the Holder to purchase the number of Shares
as to which this Option has not been exercised.

          (b) This Option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time after
September  1, 1998 and prior to 5:00 o'clock P.M.  Pacific  Time,  on August 31,
2003.






     2.  Exchange and  Transfer of Option.  This Option at any time prior to the
exercise  hereof,  upon  presentation  and  surrender  to  the  Company,  may be
exchanged,  alone or with other Options of like tenor  registered in the name of
the  Holder,  for another  Option or other  Options of like tenor in the name of
such Holder exercisable for the same aggregate number of Shares as the Option or
Options surrendered.

     3. Rights and Obligations of Option Holder.

          (a) The Holder of this Option Certificate shall not, by virtue hereof,
be entitled to any rights of a stockholder  in the Company,  either at law or in
equity;  provided,  however, in the event that any certificate  representing the
Shares is issued to the Holder hereof upon exercise of this Option,  such Holder
shall,  for all purposes,  be deemed to have become the holder of record of such
Shares  on the date on  which  this  Option  Certificate,  together  with a duly
executed  Purchase Form, was  surrendered  and payment of the Exercise Price was
made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such Share certificate. The rights
of the Holder of this  Option  are  limited  to those  expressed  herein and the
Holder of this Option,  by its acceptance  hereof,  consents to and agrees to be
bound by and to  comply  with all the  provisions  of this  Option  Certificate,
including,  without  limitation,  all the  obligations  imposed  upon the Holder
hereof by Section 5 hereof. In addition,  the Holder of this Option Certificate,
by accepting the same,  agrees that the Company may deem and treat the person in
whose name this Option  Certificate  is  registered  on the books of the Company
maintained  for such  purpose as the  absolute,  true and  lawful  owner for all
purposes whatsoever,  notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing
thereon, and the Company shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary.

          (b) No Holder of this Option  Certificate,  as such, shall be entitled
to vote or  receive  dividends  or to be deemed  the  holder  of Shares  for any
purpose, nor shall anything contained in this Option Certificate be construed to
confer upon any Holder of this Option Certificate, as such, any of the rights of
a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote,  give or withhold  consent to
any action by the Company,  whether upon any  recapitalization,  issue of stock,
reclassification  of stock,  consolidation,  merger,  conveyance  or  otherwise,
receive notice of meetings or other action  affecting  stockholders  (except for
notices  provided  for  herein),  receive  dividends,  subscription  rights,  or
otherwise,   until  this  Option  shall  have  been  exercised  and  the  Shares
purchasable upon the exercise thereof shall have become  deliverable as provided
herein;  provided,  however,  that any such  exercise on any date when the stock
transfer  books of the Company  shall be closed shall  constitute  the person or
persons in whose name or names the certificate or certificates  for those Shares
are to be issued as the record holder or holders thereof for all purposes at the
opening of  business  on the next  succeeding  day on which such stock  transfer
books  are open,  and the  Option  surrendered  shall not be deemed to have been
exercised, in whole or in part as the case may be, until the next succeeding day
on  which  stock  transfer  books  are  open  for  the  purpose  of  determining
entitlement to dividends on the Company's common stock.


                                       -2-




     4. Shares  Underlying  Option.  The Company  covenants  and agrees that all
Shares  delivered upon exercise of this Option shall,  upon delivery and payment
therefor,   be  duly  and  validly   authorized  and  issued,   fully  paid  and
non-assessable,  and free from all stamp-taxes,  liens, and charges with respect
to the purchase thereof. In addition,  the Company agrees at all time to reserve
and keep  available  an  authorized  number of Shares  sufficient  to permit the
exercise in full of this Option.

     5. Disposition of Option or Shares.

          (a) The holder of this Option Certificate and any transferee hereof or
of the Shares  issuable  upon the exercise of the Option  Certificate,  by their
acceptance  hereof,  hereby understand and agree that the Option, and the Shares
issuable upon the exercise  hereof,  have not been  registered  under either the
Securities  Act of 1933 (the "Act") or  applicable  state  securities  laws (the
"State  Acts")  and  shall  not be  sold,  pledged,  hypothecated,  donated,  or
otherwise  transferred  (whether  or not  for  consideration)  except  upon  the
issuance to the Company of a favorable  opinion of counsel or  submission to the
Company of such evidence as may be  satisfactory  to counsel to the Company,  in
each such case, to the effect that any such  transfer  shall not be in violation
of the Act and the State Acts.  It shall be a condition  to the transfer of this
Option that any transferee  hereof deliver to the Company its written  agreement
to  accept  and be bound  by all of the  terms  and  conditions  of this  Option
Certificate.

          (b) The stock  certificates  of the  Company  that will  evidence  the
shares of Common Stock with respect to which this Option may be exercisable will
be imprinted with a conspicuous legend in substantially the following form:

          The  shares   represented  by  this  Certificate  have  not  been
          registered  under  the  Securities  Act of 1933  (the  "Act")  or
          applicable state securities laws (the "State Acts") and shall not
          be sold, pledged, hypothecated,  donated or otherwise transferred
          (whether or not for  consideration) by the holder except upon the
          issuance to the Company of a favorable  opinion of its counsel or
          submission  to the  Company  of  such  other  evidence  as may be
          satisfactory to counsel to the Company, in each such case, to the
          effect that any such  transfer  shall not be in  violation of the
          Act and the State Acts.

          The Company has not agreed to register any of the  holder's  shares of
Common Stock of the Company with respect to which this Option may be exercisable
for  distribution in accordance with the provisions of the Act or the State Acts
and, the Company has not agreed to comply with any exemption  from  registration
under the Act or the State Acts for the resale of the holder's  shares of Common
Stock of the Company with respect to which this Option may be exercised.  Hence,
it is the  understanding  of the  holders of this  Option  that by virtue of the
provisions of certain rules respecting  "restricted  securities" promul gated by
the SEC,  the shares of Common  Stock of the Company  with respect to which this
Option may be exercisable  may be required to be held  indefinitely,  unless and
until registered under the Act and the State Acts, unless an exemption from such
registration  is available,  in which case the holder may still be limited as to
the number of shares of Common  Stock of the Company  with respect to which this
Option may be exercised that may be sold.

                                       -3-




     6. Adjustments.  The number of Shares purchasable upon the exercise of this
Option is subject to adjustment  from time to time upon the occurrence of any of
the events enumerated below.

          (a) In case the  Company  shall:  (i) pay a dividend  in Shares,  (ii)
subdivide its outstanding Shares into a greater number of Shares,  (iii) combine
its  outstanding  Shares  into a smaller  number of Shares,  or (iv)  issue,  by
reclassification  of its Shares,  any shares of its capital stock, the amount of
Shares  purchasable upon the exercise of this Option  immediately  prior thereto
shall be adjusted so that the Holder shall be entitled to receive upon  exercise
of the Option that number of Shares  which such Holder would have owned or would
have been  entitled to receive after the happening of such event had such Holder
exercised the Option  immediately  prior to the record date, in the case of such
dividend,  or  the  effective  date,  in  the  case  of  any  such  subdivision,
combination or reclassification.  An adjustment made pursuant to this subsection
(a) shall be made  whenever  any of such events  shall  occur,  but shall become
effective  retroactively  after such record date or such effective  date, as the
case may be, as to any exercise  between such record date or effective  date and
the date of happening of any such event.

          (b) Notice to Option  Holders of  Adjustment.  Whenever  the number of
Shares purchasable  hereunder is adjusted as herein provided,  the Company shall
cause to be  mailed to the  Holder in  accordance  with the  provisions  of this
Section 6 a notice  (i)  stating  that the  number of  Shares  purchasable  upon
exercise of this Option have been  adjusted,  (ii)  setting  forth the  adjusted
number of Shares purchasable upon the exercise of this Option, and (iii) showing
in reasonable  detail the  computations  and the facts,  including the amount of
consideration  received  or deemed to have been  received by the  Company,  upon
which such adjustments are based.

     7.  Fractional  Shares.  The  Company  shall not be  required  to issue any
fraction of a Share upon the  exercise of this  Option.  If more than one Option
shall be surrendered for exercise at one time by the same Holder,  the number of
full Shares which shall be issuable upon  exercise  thereof shall be computed on
the basis of the aggregate number of Shares with respect to which this Option is
exercised.  If any fractional  interest in a Share shall be deliverable upon the
exercise of this Option,  the Company shall make an adjustment  therefor in cash
equal to such fraction multiplied by the Exercise Price.

     8. Loss or  Destruction.  Upon  receipt  of  evidence  satisfactory  to the
Company of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this Option Certificate
and, in the case of any such loss,  theft or  destruction,  upon  delivery of an
indemnity  agreement or bond  satisfactory in form,  substance and amount to the
Company or, in the case of any such mutilation,  upon surrender and cancellation
of this Option Certificate, the Company at its expense will execute and deliver,
in lieu thereof, a new Option Certificate of like tenor.

     9. Survival. The various rights and obligations of the Holder hereof as set
forth herein shall survive the exercise of the Option represented hereby and the
surrender of this Option Certificate.


                                       -4-




     10. Notices.  Whenever any notice,  payment of any purchase price, or other
communication  is  required  to be given or  delivered  under  the terms of this
Option,  it shall be in writing and  delivered by hand delivery or United States
registered or certified mail,  return receipt  requested,  postage prepaid,  and
will be deemed to have been given or delivered on the date such notice, purchase
price or other communication is so delivered or posted, as the case may be; and,
if to the Company,  it will be  addressed to the address  specified in Section 1
hereof,  and if to the Holder,  it will be addressed to the registered Holder at
its, his or her address as it appears on the books of the Company.

                                     FISCHER-WATT GOLD COMPANY, INC.


                                     By 
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        George Beattie, Chief Executive Officer

                                     Date 
                                          --------------------------------------


                                       -5-




                                  PURCHASE FORM

                                                          ----------------, ----


TO:  FISCHER-WATT GOLD COMPANY, INC

     The undersigned  hereby  irrevocably elects to exercise the attached Option
Certificate  to the extent of __________  shares of the Common Stock,  par value
$.001 per share, of Fischer-Watt Gold Company,  Inc. and hereby makes payment of
$_____ in accordance with the provisions of Section 1 of the Option  Certificate
in payment of the purchase price thereof.

                     INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION OF STOCK

Name: 
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------
      (Please typewrite or print in block letters)

Address: 
         ----------------------------------------------------------------------

                                             By 
                                                -------------------------------



                                       -6-



                                 ASSIGNMENT FORM

     For value received, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns, and transfers to

Name 
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 
        -----------------------------------------------------------------------

this  Option and  irrevocably  appoints ------------------------------- attorney
(with full power of  substitution)  to transfer  this Option on the books of the
Company.


Date: 
      ----------------------------      ----------------------------------------
                                        (Please sign exactly as name
                                         appears on Option)

                                        Taxpayer ID No. 
                                                        ------------------------


                                       -7-