I think that the gold shares are the way to play this. Gold is only hugely profitable with leverage and that can go against you. Most of the gold mining shares are undervalued and will rise exponentially of gold takes off. It is a bit of a bet but in the current market what is not a bet? As for the breakout, even if it never comes, the miners will begin t reflect true value with gold around $1000. Once all the government handouts add liquidity into the market it has to find a home. Gold is the bet in the short/medium term.