HANOVER, N.H.--Vice President Al Gore '69 has been working hard over the past few weeks to improve his public image, to appear more spontaneous and relaxed to potential voters. The trouble is, he may be working too hard.

Audience members leaving last night's debate criticized Gore's performance as "too strong," "too controlling," "condescending" and "forceful."

"Gore was acting like Elmer Gantry," said one woman from Connecticut who attended the debate.

But the Vice President's efforts to loosen up were nevertheless an improvement over his longtime reputation as stiff and unable to connect with voters. From his light tan suit and his casual blue shirt, to his playful banter with audience members, Gore tried to project an image of informality and accessibility.

He traded questions with the voters: "How old are your children?" to a mother. "What age group do you teach?" to a high school instructor.

And he cracked jokes: Asked a question from a man, whose last name was Kilgore, he grinned and said, "what was your last name again?"

But New Hampshire voters are legendarily concerned with genuineness, and some said Gore's performance seemed like an act.

"We both left with a very sour taste about Al Gore," said Amy E. Hooper, a Dartmouth junior. "He was trying too hard to overcome his wooden image. He was acting as if he was the rightful owner of the audience."

Bradley by contrast, was his ordinary studious self. Staring at his shoes as he began to answer questions, he sounded more like a professor in front of a Core class than a blow-dried politician.

When a woman asked Bradley what he would do to improve education for children with "special needs," he fixed her in his gaze and rattled off a string of policy positions on the subject.

And when both candidates named leaders they admire, Bradley went for the obscure--Woodrow Wilson and Mikhail Gorbachev. (Gore was more mainstream--Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt for him.)

That professorial tone played well here at Dartmouth College. But across the country, Gore may find an electorate that's more to his liking.

The audience at last night's town hall seemed hand-picked for Bradley: liberal, wonkish, well-educated. Bradley's progressive stance on gay rights got the loudest applause of the evening.

Several questioners were Dartmouth professors or local teachers. All were white.

But Gore polls best among African Americans, Latinos and union members.

Ironically, one of the few black faces in the audience was Fletcher University Professor Cornel R. West '74, a Bradley backer.

Despite the leftish cast of the audience, Gore attacked Bradley for liberal proposals that he said would cost too much.

Gore told the crowd that Bradley's health care program would consume the entire federal budget surplus. On an unrelated question about education, he said that the Bradley plan would prevent new spending on schools.

That tack may play well in New Hampshire, one of the few states without an income tax and the home of former Republican senator Warren B. Rudman, a vehement budget hawk.

Gore's attacks contrasted with his defensiveness about character issues.

Well aware of polls that show voters fed up with President Clinton's personal scandals, Gore subtly distanced himself from his boss.

He gestured to his wife, Tipper, several times, praising her work on mental health issues.

In response to his first question of the evening, Gore directly addressed voters' disapproval of the President's character.

"I understand the disappointment and anger you feel towards President Clinton, and I feel it myself," he said. "I also feel the American people want to move on."

The character issue is one of Bradley's strongest assets. But he took the high road tonight, declining to mention the question.

When one audience member asked about his opinion of Gore's questionable fundraising tactics during the 1996 campaign, Bradley looked uncomfortable.

"I think there were obviously some irregularities that have been addressed, but I'm not going to get into that," he said.

Bradley's restraint won him points with viewers, and the point was made.

The audience laughed as Bradley pondered how to answer the question.

Identifying a winner in last night's debate is a tricky prospect. Ultimately, your opinion may depend on where you were. Bradley was pure New Hampshire--detailed and untheatrical--and New Hampshire viewers approved.

But Gore was appealing to a broader national audience. One senior campaign adviser said the vice president's strategy was to take stances that would resonate beyond the Granite State.

The problem for Gore is that he has to survive New Hampshire to get there.