DESCRIPTION

Though reminiscent of Dig Dug in presentation and Snake Byte in gameplay, O'Riley's Mine unearths some twists and turns all its own. The player controls a small miner character, who begins at the top of a single, vertical shaft. The miner can tunnel up, down, left, or right to collect the oil, gold, and other valuable deposits buried in the earth on either side of the beginning duct. Soon after play begins, a charge of dynamite explodes at the bottom of the shaft, and water begins to seep up through a crack it makes. The miner must move through all of the deposits on the board to collect them, then return to his starting position where a ladder will appear. If he runs into the water, he'll drown

The water rises realistically, filling lower passages first, so the pattern of tunnels the miner leaves behind has an important effect on its flow. To make the job even more challenging, one or more monster fish will come out of the water to chase after the miner wherever he goes. Luckily, the miner can set explosives to cause cave-ins that block the monsters' way. Nothing can stop the rising water though, so the character must collect all the goodies and return to the top of the mine as quickly as possible. Score is measured in the dollar value of the ore and deposits collected, with a bonus awarded for each unused stick of dynamite. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide