Dig Dug II/How to play

Controls

 * Joystick: The joystick directs Dig Dug. Use the joystick to direct Dig Dug over the island. Dig Dug can move in four directions, and can not be forced over the edge of a cliff in to water.  After cutting off a section of island, Dig Dug will lose his balance.  Press the joystick towards the land to help him regain his balance, or he will tumble in to the water.
 * Pump: Press this button to launch Dig Dug's pump in the direction that he is facing. If an enemy is within range of the hose, it will connect and latch on to the enemy.  Then tap or hold the pump button to fill the enemy with air until it pops.  Tapping it generally faster than holding.  You must completely pump an enemy until it explodes, or it will begin to deflate.  While it is defalting, you may safely pass through an enemy.
 * Jackhammer: Press this button to jump on the jackhammer. This generally has no effect unless Dig Dug uses the Jackhammer on one of the island pegs.  Using the jackhammer on the peg locks Dig Dug in place, and creates a crack in the direction that Dig Dug is facing.  By holding the button down, Dig Dug can create cracks in multiple directions, but as soon as the button is released, the peg disappears.  Cut off three pieces of land to make a bonus vegetable appear.
 * 1 or 2 Players: Push these buttons to begin a one or two player game.

Dig Dug
Dig Dug (Taizo Hori) is the hero of the game. He must defend each of the islands from the Pookas and Fygars. Armed with an air pump and his new jackhammer, he must either pump the enemies out of existence, or use his jackhammer to cut off a section of the island and drown the enemies. Dig Dug is vulnerable to the touch of his enemies, as well as the flame breath of a Fygar. He is also vulnerable to falling in the water if he stands on the wrong side of the island after he cuts a section off. Dig Dug may also lose his balance after cutting off a section of island. Push the joystick towards land to prevent him from tumbling in to the water. In order to advance to the next stage, Dig Dug must clear every enemy from the stage. When only one enemy is left, it will cowardly jump off the island and swim away. If the enemy escape, the stage is cleared, and the potential points are simply lost.

Pooka
Pooka can best be described as a tomato-red balloon with yellow goggles. No one is really quite certain what a Pooka is, but one thing is for sure; it's deadlier than it looks. Pookas start out a little slower than Dig Dug, but they will eventually match his speed in later stages. They cannot cross over cracks in the ground, but they will occasionally switch to a ghost form that can float over the cracks. As a ghost, it takes the form of its yellow goggles. A Pooka in ghost form is just as deadly as a Pooka in solid form. Pookas are easily dispatched by Dig Dug's pump from any direction.

Fygar
Fygars are fire breathing dragons that also seek Dig Dug out. Their fire breathing adds an extra element of danger when Dig Dug confronts these green beasts. They behave like Pookas in almost every respect. They too can become ghosts in order to pass over cracks. As ghosts, they appear as a pair of eyes and a mouth. As they chase after Dig Dug, they will occasionally pause and flash once or twice before letting out a huge fiery blast to the left or to the right (but never up or down.) Because of the danger they present when facing them from the right or left, their point value doubles compared to blowing them up from above or below.

Scoring
The score received for drowning enemies by cutting off a section of island depends on the number of enemies killed.

Bonus Vegetables
Bonus vegetables appear after Dig Dug has successfully cut off three sections of the island, regardless of size. Trivia: The banana and corn sprites are from Super Pac-Man. Even more surprising, the grapes and drink sprites are from Pac-Man Plus, which wasn't a Pac-Man variation developed by Namco, but rather by Midway.