Main screen of remastered Digger for Windows, called Windig.
Digger is a
Canadian
computer game released
by Windmill Software in 1983, popular in the era of the
IBM PC with a CGA graphics card and monitor.
It generally requires a genuine CGA card and runs too fast on
computers faster than the original IBM PC 4.77 MHz. In an exception
to the CGA requirement, it is possible to use a CGA emulator to run
Digger on a
Hercules graphics
card.
Gameplay
Many features of
Digger are similar to those in the
arcade game Mr.
Do. As in that game, the player is placed in an underground
maze, and can dig horizontal and vertical tunnels through it. At
least one tunnel already exists at the start of play. At various
points on the board are emeralds (usually in clusters) and bags of
gold. Monsters (initially in the 'nobbin' form) appear at the top
right-hand corner. If earth is excavated from under a gold bag,
then the bag will wobble for a few seconds and then drop; if it
falls more than one row, it will break open after falling,
releasing gold which can be collected. Bags can also be pushed left
or right into vertical paths, with similar results. Falling bags
will squash monsters that they fall on, but they will also squash
the digger. The digger also has a weapon, which will fire in a
straight line, but takes several seconds to recharge (taking longer
as the levels go higher).
Monsters will sometimes change from the 'nobbin' form to the
'hobbin' form, more frequently on higher levels. Hobbins also have
the power to excavate, and can destroy emeralds and gold bags while
so doing.
When a monster is killed, another will appear at the top right-hand
corner of the screen, up to a maximum number which depends on the
level. Once all the monsters for the level have been created, a
cherry appears in their place. If the digger collects this, bonus
mode is entered, and for about fifteen seconds (which decreases as
the game level gets higher) the digger is able to eat the monsters.
Accordingly, the monsters now run away from the digger rather than
towards it.
A level ends when all the emeralds are gone or all the monsters
have been killed.
Scoring
The player scores 25 points for collecting an emerald, with a bonus
of 250 if eight are collected in immediate succession. Killing a
monster by shooting it or dropping a gold bag on it scores 250
points; in bonus mode, the player scores 200 points for the first
monster eaten, 400 for the second, and so on, doubling each time.
Collecting gold earns 500 points, and entering bonus mode 1,000. A
new life is awarded at each multiple of 20,000 points.
Development
Digger was developed by Rob Sleath, the primary developer
of Windmill games in 1983. In 1984, Digger was converted to run on
IBM PCjr and
IBM
PCJX, the Japanese version. The last original version was
released for a Canadian computer
Hyperion running at 6 MHz.
Music
During normal game play the
Popcorn
theme is used as background music.In bonus mode the
Overture to Wilhelm Tell by
Gioachino Rossini plays.If the player
dies, a rendition of
Frédéric
Chopin's
Piano Sonata No.
2 in B flat
Minor (also known as The Funeral March) is played, accompanied
with a picture of a
RIP
gravestone.
Remake
Creat Studios released an enhanced
remake for
PlayStation 3 called Digger
HD.
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