Dig Dug

Dig Dug

Game No.	118
Voting	6.95 points, 39 votes
Developer	Michael Reno
Company	Namco
HVSC-File	/GAMES/A-F/Dig_Dug.sid
Release	1982
Platform	Apple II, Arcade, Atari 2600/7800, C64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Intellivision, Mobiltelefon, NES, PC-DOS
Genre	Arcade, Miscellaneous
Gamemode	Single player 2 players (in turns)
Operation
Media
Language
Information	also: El Topo

Description[edit | edit source]

This is a conversion of the game with the same name on the arcade machine and has been converted to the C64.

The pawn, wearing a kind of astronaut suit, digs itself through the ground and must make enemies explode with the help of a pump. The alternative is to squash them with a rock. Next to the normal enemies, the Pookas, which kill when being touched, there are also especially mean ones, named Fygar. The Fygars can spit fire, even through the soil. If you give enough time to a Pooka or a Fygar, it will turn into a ghost and the soil won't pose an obstacle any more. If they then reach a tunnel, they take shape again.

Design[edit | edit source]

... a short animation from the game ...

... Level 4 ...

You look onto a cross section of a piece of ground. In it are hollow spaces where enemies are placed. Furthermore there are stones that fall down, when the soil beneath them is digged away.

Hints[edit | edit source]

Dig-Dug starts every game with 5 lives.
Squash the enemies with the rocks to get more points.
If two rocks have fallen down in a round, a vegetable will appear in the middle of the screen for 10 seconds. If you reach it on time, you will get bonus points.
The last enemy wants the escape from the area. Don't let the points slip through your fingers.

Controls in the title screen:

F1 = start game
F3 = one or two players
F5 = set difficulty grade 1 - 10

Controls in the game

= Dig-Dug follows the joystick movements (no diagonal movements possible)
= press fire button and hold it to shoot into the walking direction and make an enemy explode
Space = pause on/off
Restore = abort game and go back to the title screen

Solution[edit | edit source]

Cheats[edit | edit source]

The version by Remember contains next to the manual also the following cheat options: unlimited lives for both players, monster cannot kill Dig-Dug, rocks cannot kill Dig-Dug, jump levels.

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
6.95 points at 39 votes (rank 464). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	8	3rd December 2005 - "Super" 3715 downs
C64.com	5,0	30th December 2006 - 1956 downs
Lemon64	7,35	6th October 2006 - 46 votes
Gamebase64	10	May 2005 - "Classic!"
Rombachs C64-Spieleführer	8	1984 - "Vote 2"
ZZap64	54%	Ausgabe 8/85

Reviews[edit | edit source]

Dante: "An innovative game idea makes this game a classic. As a arcade machine it was already a success and the C64 portation is also lots of fun. Unfortunately, the diversion leaves a lot to be desired after a while, as the levels differ only slightly."

Guybrush: "The game gets monotonous relatively fast, it is just from 1982, so the game was for its time still outstanding. 7 out of 10."

Borna: "I got to know this game on an Atari VCS of a friend, when I had it on the C64 there was no holding back. Seldom has a game called up such grimaces contorted with pain in its players, e.g., if you tried to reach a rock while being chased by 3 monsters, but the rock was still hopelessly far away. Gnnnnnnnnaaaannnnngggnnnn..."

Robotron2084: "The same problem, that is already known from the Atarisoft version of Donkey Kong: the originally upright screen of the machine had to be stretched horizontally to make it fit onto a normal TV screen. Result: unelegant, slow gameplay. It is also as easy as a pie. No way: 4 out of 10 points."

mombasajoe: "It was already too repetitive in 1982, to be good."

Shakermaker303: "Quite ok for its time. At least 6 out of 10 points."