Dig Dug Deeper

The Good
Dig Dug was released in the eighties, and was a success. It had you killing these two monsters, Pooka and Fygar, by inflating them with your pump or crushing them under rocks. In 2001, Infogrames released an updated version of this game, called Dig Dug Deeper which not only has the same basic gameplay as the original, but it boasts excellent graphics and cartoon-like animations. The only difference between D3 and the original is huge.

The game consists of six planets that includes park, city, desert, volcano, ice, and moon. Each planet has three worlds each (with the exception of the final planet, which has only one), and each world has several levels which must be completed to proceed to the next world. Once you have completed all the worlds, you proceed to the next planet.

There are two types of levels in the game: surface and underground. You start the game at the surface, where one of the enemies, mainly a Pooka, will jump out of the hole, telling you that you have to go through it to get to the underground where you inflate or crush several enemies. As always, the last remaining enemy will always run away. If this is the case, then he will be walking around the surface, waiting for you to inflate him, and you can't continue until you do so.

D3 can be a difficult game to complete. There are a few versions of Pooka and Fygar that you meet from the second planet onwards, and these versions have a completely different color to the original ones. The most dangerous ones are blue Pookas, who take extra long to inflate completely then a normal Pooka, giving enemies the more chance to run up to you while you are inflating. A red Fygar will release a flame from its mouth, and this flame is able to go around corners. I like games that are bit difficult, as playing the level for a long time helps you remember how they are structured.

Besides inflating or crushing, I like the way that you can use certain obstacles to your advantage. For instance, you can create a passage that leads to a monster, and bump into some gas that will flow in all directions, killing any monster that gets in its way. Using gas on more than one monster is recommended, because they often leave power-ups that will help you defeat monsters quickly, but they only last for a limited amount of time, so you need to plan ahead and see how you can get the most impact out of the power-up. Alternatively, you can make lava reach the monsters or push a rock onto them. Killing more than one monster at the same time doubles your points, and this is very satisfying as you may be one step closer to earning an extra life.

The graphics in this game are very good. Dig Dug and the monsters are drawn nicely, and their animations are superb. The surface levels on most of the planets that you have to visit look fantastic, consisting of structures that you would expect to be there in real life

The background music is nice to hear as you dig your way through the dirt. It is easy listening, and doesn't get annoying. By the way, digging through dirt makes some interesting patterns. Some of the sound effects are fun, especially the moaning and groaning of the monsters when you destroy them without using your pump.

The Bad
As I said earlier, this game gets rather difficult. Like the last game, Pooka and Fygar have the ability to travel through dirt. Two monsters at the same time can do this, but this does not hurt. All you have to do is get in a position where you are able to destroy them easily. However, I can't handle three monsters ghosting then homing in to attack me. It is likely that I will lose a life.

When you make a turn that will bump you into a monster, you can't make any severe turns and you end up losing a life. All you have to do is just go with the flow and hope you fare better next time.

Like Ms. Pac-Man: Quest for the Golden Maze, D3 suffers from a poor ending. Immediately after finishing the final level, the credits happen to roll by.

The Bottom Line
Dig Dug Deeper is a updated version of Dig Dug that not only retains the same gameplay, but adds a few tricks as well. You start the game by selecting available planets in which you can travel to, and completing three worlds. This process is repeated throughout the game. The game's graphics, sound, and animations are well done. A nice addition to the game is walking around the surfaces, seeing what is there and having to jump in a hole when you're done. Since there is no violence (cartoon or otherwise), D3 is suitable for all ages.