Tag Archives: digging

Lemmings, Atari Lynx

The Atari Lynx version of Lemmings was developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in 1993, and it is an enjoyable port of this great puzzle/rescue game.

Continue reading Lemmings, Atari Lynx

Penguin Land, Sega Master System

Penguin Land is a cute and devilish platform puzzle game developed and published by Sega – exclusively for the Sega Master System – in 1987. The original Japanese title of the game is “Doki Doki Penguin Land Uchū Daibōken“.

Continue reading Penguin Land, Sega Master System

Repton 3, Archimedes

The Acorn Archimedes version of Repton 3 is an excellent port of the 8-bit BBC Micro original, with enhanced graphics, responsive controls and a raft of extra levels not seen in the original. From what I can tell it was the only part of the Repton series that was ported to the Archimedes, which is fine because it’s probably the best game in the series.

Continue reading Repton 3, Archimedes

Dig Dug, Arcade

Dig Dug is a cute arcade digging game from Namco that was a cult hit during the early to mid-1980s. It was first distributed into arcades in 1982 and was much cloned by other game developers, and was also officially ported to many home systems of the time, including for the Atari 2600 and Mattel Intellivision (among many others).

Continue reading Dig Dug, Arcade

Repton 3, BBC Micro

Repton 3 – first released by Superior Software in 1986 – was designed and written by Matthew Atkinson; not Repton‘s original designer, Tim Tyler. Thankfully Repton 3 reverts back to the formula that made the first Repton game so successful, with a series of password-accessible, time-limited levels, split into three data files (prelude, toccata, and finale).

Continue reading Repton 3, BBC Micro

Repton 2, BBC Micro

The sequel to the classic BBC digging/puzzle game, Repton, Repton 2 was again designed and coded by Tim Tyler and published by Superior Software in 1985. Unfortunately this second game in the series is not quite as good as its predecessor, in my opinion.

Continue reading Repton 2, BBC Micro

Repton, BBC Micro

Repton for the BBC Micro is a classic digging/puzzle/maze game written by Tim Tyler and published by Superior Software in 1985. The game is usually described as a Boulder Dash derivative, and while it’s true that its author was influenced by Chris Gray and Peter Liepa‘s classic game, he hadn’t played it before he wrote Repton – he’d reportedly only read a review about the game in a magazine. Repton is sufficiently different to Boulder Dash to stand on its proverbial own two feet, but the similarities are obvious and drawing comparisons is unavoidable.

Continue reading Repton, BBC Micro

Sim Ant, PC

Initially released for PC MS-DOS in 1991, Sim Ant (aka SimAnt) is a video game that simulates the life of an ant colony. It’s a game that has fascinated me since I first played it, in the same way that watching a real ant nest – or documentaries about ants – fascinates me.

Continue reading Sim Ant, PC

Mr. Driller Drill Land, GameCube

Developed by Project Driller (an internal, dedicated team within Namco), Mr. Driller Drill Land was released exclusively for the GameCube in Japan in 2002 and is the fifth instalment in the Mr. Driller series. And it is arguably the best game in the series.

Continue reading Mr. Driller Drill Land, GameCube

Boulder Dash Special

Boulder Dash is a very special game. It is a simple idea, with cute graphics and devious gameplay that combine to make an addictive combination of arcade-style action, survival and puzzle-solving.

Continue reading Boulder Dash Special