Mr. Dig

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

See cassette.


STARTING GAME

The game will start in its demonstration mode. At any time, press the joystick button and the level selection screen will be displayed. Select with joystick left and right (0 is the easiest, 9 the hardest), press the joystick button to continue into the game. The joystick must be connected to port 1.


OBJECT OF GAME

You are in control of Mr. Dig! Use the joystick to control his movement around the screen. Mr. Dig starts the game (and each new screen) at the screen bottom. There are a number of groves of cherries that Mr. Dig has to pick by walking over them. There are also a number of apples which can be made to fall either by digging out the ground from under them,or pushing them (left or right only) until over a vertical tunnel. Also on the screen are four meanies, which start out at the screen centre. They will chase Mr. Dig and kill him if they touch him. Meanies cannot dig tunnels nor eat cherries, however they can become impatient and mutate into miners, which can do both.

When all meanies have left the screen centre you will see a treat there. By passing over it you will gain bonus points and freeze all the meanies / miners. Then three mallets appear along with the letter monster.

The letter on the letter monster will be the same as that surrounded by the letter monster at the top of the screen at the time the treat is picked. Mallets can be disposed of individually or they will all disappear when the letter monster is destroyed. Mallets will eat any apples they come across, and if destroyed individually will mutate into apples. When the letter monster is destroyed any remaining mailers will also be destroyed and you will light the letter on its chest. If you light all the letters in the word 'EXTRA' you will be awarded an extra Mr. Dig! There are two methods of destroying opponents. One is to press the joystick button to launch your power orb (to recover the orb, simply pass over it or it is returned automatically - with a slight delay - when it hits an opponent) or you can drop an apple on your opponent's head. Every 10,000 points, an extra letter monster appears, although there can never be more than one letter monster at a time. If a treat is collected and a letter monster already exists, the mailers will still appear, but the letter monster remains unchanged.


SCORING

Each cherry eaten scores 50 points, with a 500 point bonus if all cherries in a grove are eaten without stopping. Eating the treat scores 1000 points. Opponents hit by an apple score 1000 for the first destroyed, plus 2000 for each additional opponent hit by the same apple. All other destroyed opponents score 500. Every so often a fallen apple will split open and reveal a sparkling diamond - collecting this scores a 10000 point bonus.


CONTROL TIPS

Mr. Dig's movement is restricted to a grid, thus he can move either horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. When you want Mr. Dig to change direction select the new direction in advance, and he will turn as soon as he can.


NEW GAME

Pressing BREAK at any time will abandon the current game and return you to the demonstration mode. Holding down START whilst pressing BREAK will zero the high score table as well.


PAUSE

Pressing P at any time during the game will pause Mr. Dig, press R when you are ready to resume.


HI-SCORE TABLE

Microdeal's Mr. Dig maintains a high score table. If yours is one of the top scores you will be invited to enter your name at the termination of the game.