DESCRIPTION

Really two games in one cartridge, Namco's somewhat-hard-to-find Dig Dug for the classic monochrome Game Boy offers not only a decent port of the arcade version, but throws a dandy original bonus game into the bargain. The primary draw, of course, is Dig Dug, and since Namco originated the game, they know what they're doing: despite some minimal scrolling (similar to the Game Boy edition of Pac-Man) required by the small screen, it's an almost-perfect rendition of it's coin-op cousin, with one possible exception — it seems like your burrowing enemies are actually meaner in this version. The moment you close in on even one of them to make a kill, it appears as though all of the others flash into their semi-visible states and converge on you en masse.

The bonus game is simply called New Dig Dug, and it takes the basic tunneling-and-blowing-up-enemies play of the original and puts a few Super Mario Bros.-era twists on it. A set number of keys must be gathered from the subterranean playing field, and then one must reach a door to the next level (which won't budge a bit unless all the keys have been collected). Also unlike the arcade version, this "adventure" mode has an inexhaustible supply of enemies — and they always appear on the "ground level" portion of the screen, which can leave anyone unlucky enough to be there pinned down by an unending onslaught. Fortunately, there's a "continue" feature, but some of the New Dig Dug levels are frustrating enough to drive all but the most dedicated players back to the original.

Both games together, however, complement each other nicely. New Dig Dug is there for those who feel the original is too easy, yet players can always return to the classic version when the charms of the "sequel" wear thin. Unlike Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, Namco never reissued Dig Dug for the Game Boy Color. ~ Earl Green, All Game Guide