Dig Dug

Name:	Dig Dug
Company:	Atari
Model #:	CX-7803
Programmer:	Betty Ryan,  Ava-Robin Cohen, and Gene (GCC)
Year:	1984
Released?	Yes
Notes:	Port of the 1982 Namco Coin-Op

Dig Dug...  While this game didn't win any awards for good English, it did become on of the most popular arcade games in history.  Dig Dug combines fast action, strategy, and good clean non-violent fun into one amazing package.  Dig Dug's easy to learn yet hard to master, gameplay made it a favorite at the arcades.  However Atari's upper management wasn't happy when some of its employees made the decision to license the game from Namco, they were afraid American audiences wouldn't get the game (what's there to get? See monster, pump monster, blow up monster).  Thankfully the upper management was proven wrong (as usual) and Dig Dug was a smash hit for Atari.

According to the manual "You are Dig Dug, an intrepid gardener whose soil is infested with pesky Pookas and fire-breathing Fygars", dotcha just hate it when that happens?  However your not just any intrepid gardener in a spacesuit, your Dig Dug, and you've come prepared.  Dig Dug comes armed with his trusty air pump which he uses to blow up his enemies.  Apparently all Pookas and Fygars come equipped with air nozzles for easy pumping (how convenient).

Dig you must!  Burrow your way through the soil hunting down all the Pookas and Fygars before they come looking for you!  Although Pookas and Fygars can't normally move through solid dirt, they can turn into ghosts.  Ghosts look like little white eyes and can freely move through the dirt; however once they reach open ground they'll revert back to their normal selves.  Normally Dig Dug can't pump a ghost until it reverts back into a Pooka or Fygar, but if you time it just right you can catch the ghost right as it's exiting the dirt and blow him away.  Normally Pookas and Fygars don't turn into ghosts until later on it the round, so you have a little while to hunt them down in their tunnels.  However at later level's they'll start ghosting immediately!

The pump isn't the only weapon at Dig Dug's disposal, for he is also 'Master of the Rock'.  By burrowing under the rocks strategically placed around the screen, Dig Dug can drop them onto unwitting foes.  Be careful that you're not under it when it falls though.  After dropping two rocks a veggie will appear in the center of the screen (ala Pac-Man), you can grab this for bonus points if your into that sort of thing.  While hunting down your opponents, take special care when approaching Fygars from the front.  Since Fygars are little dragons they have the ability to breath fire!  Make sure Dig Dug doesn't get burned to a crisp.

Dig Dug showed that the 7800 really was capable of bringing the arcade experience home.  Dig Dug was one of the first games slated for release with the new 7800 back in 1984, but the console (and all its games) were delayed due to the game crash.  Unfortunately by the time Dig Dug did get released in 1986, it was really old news.  Still, the 7800 version of Dig Dug is a solid port and a blast to play.

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