Boulder Dash

From C64-Wiki

Boulder Dash

Game No.	5
Developer	Peter Liepa
Company
Publisher	First Star Software
Musician	Peter Liepa
HVSC-File	/GAMES/A-F/Boulder_Dash.sid
Release	1984
Plattform	Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Arcade, Atari 400/800, Acorn Electron, C64, Mobiltelefon, NES, PC-DOS, PDA, Smartphone, ZX Spectrum
Genre	Arcade, Boulder Dash
Gamemode	1 - 2 1P only
Operation
Media
Language
Information

1 Voting
2 Description
3 Design
4 Hints
5 Solution
6 Cheats
7 Critics
8 Miscellaneous
9 Highscore
10 Links

[edit] Voting

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
8.65 points at 40 votes (rank 22). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	10	13. September 2005 - "Highlight" 14945 downs
Lemon64	8,42	6. Oktober 2006 - 162 votes
Gamebase64	10	A Classic!

[edit] Description

You play ROCKFORD. He can dig through the earth and move boulders. Altogether you have to collect jewels in 16 caves with each 5 difficulty levels in a limited time. As soon as you have collected the required number of jewels (this is mentioned in the upper left corner), an escape tunnel to the next level opens. Strategy and careful planning are the bases to master this game. Besides the boulders, which fall on you as soon as you dig a tunnel underneath them, there are many other difficulties to master in the following levels (e.g. Amoeba, Fireflies).

[edit] Design

2D-screen, which scrolls in all directions. Simple illustration of the pawn, boulders and other things. Realistic design of triggered avalanches. Sound and music are kept simple.

[edit] Hints

To the menue-screen press F1 or fire. Press F3 to change the number of players (choose between 1 or 2 players, one after another) and to choose control options. Joystick LEFT or RIGHT to choose a cave or a level. Press RUN/STOP (=ESC in emulators) to restart a cave. Press SPACE to pause or continue the game.

Every player has 3 lives. Extra-lives are granted every 500 points. The tunnels which Rockford has digged, then glisten shortly. Furthermore there is an extra-life after succesfully finishing a level.

[edit] Solution

Levels and caves

There are 16 caves, which are marked A to P. Every cave has 5 difficulty levels.

Caves

A - Intro: Pick up Jewels and exit before time is up.
B - Rooms: Pick up Jewels, but you must move boulders to get all Jewels.
C - Maze: Pick up Jewels. You must get every Jewel to exit.
D - Butterflies: Drop boulders on Butterflies to create Jewels.
E - Guard: The Jewels are there for the grabbing, but they are guarded by the deadly Fireflies.
F - Firefly Dens: Each Firefly is guarding a Jewel.
G - Amoeba: Surround the Amoeba with boulders so it can't grow any more. Pick up Jewels that are created when it suffocates.
H - Enchanted Wall: Activate the Enchanted Wall and create as many Jewels as you can.
I - Greed: You have to get a lot of Jewels here. Lucky there are so many.
J - Tracks: Get the Jewels and avoid the Fireflies.
K - Crowd: You must move a lot of boulders around in some tight spaces.
L - Walls: You must blast through walls to get at some of the Jewels. Drop a boulder on a Firefly at the right time and place to do this.
M - Apocalypse: Bring the Butterflies and Amoeba together and watch the Jewels fly.
N - Zigzag: Magically transform the Butterflies into Jewels, but don't waste any boulders and watch out for the Fireflies.
O - Funnel: There is an Enchanted Wall at the bottom of the rock funnel.
P - Enchanted Boxes: The top of each square room is an Enchanted Wall, but you'll have to blast your way inside..

(Excerpt from the English manual)

[edit] Cheats

Cheat with POKE 16494,169 Boulderdash 3: POKE 15334,250

[edit] Critics

Sledgie: "It is a classic of its kind, collecting jewels and avoiding boulders. After 1984 until today various successing version have been issued. Big motivation to play through all the levels. Rather easy graphics and colour design. I think the background music and sounds are very good. My personal voting is 10 out of 10."

Guybrush: "As primtive as the game principle was, as great was it. Very addictive. 8 out of 10."

Darkstar: "THE classic per se. However, at that time I somehow liked Crystal Fever even more..."