Buried Buck$ is a fine example of an unfortunate trend-placing originality before quality game play. There simply must be some reasonable middle ground between all the Pac-Guys and Protectors other than something as far-fetched as digging for bags of money by dropping bombs from a helicopter. Of course, all would have been forgiven if it had been a good game, but it isn't.


You are the pilot of a helicopter, whose job is to mine for $. You do this (stage left) in your funny little orange helicopter, and looking for big gold $ signs. You then dig for them by making a hole in the ground with your trusty bombs and then flying down to retrieve them by touching them. Your life is complicated by a big fat plane which drops clods of dirt which will bury you if you are unlucky enough to be caught under one of them. They will also fill any hole located under them. r• Your only other obstacles are rocks which obstruct your digging. To get past them, you use the gun mounted in the front of the helicopter. As the levels get higher the dirt gets faster, and the rocks become more numerous.


This is a cute premise with no promise. My main complaint is that this game is boring. It goes too quickly from ridiculously easy to impossible, and along the way it completely fails to capture your attention or provide excitement for any prolonged gameplay. The sound effects leave something to be desired, too. The graphics are good, but graphics can only enhance a game, not make it into a good one.


Don't overestimate the dirt. On the easier level there is enough time to go into a tunnel and come back up before the dirt gets you.