Dig Dug II

Dig Dug II is one of Namco's more obscure titles. It takes the characters from the original Dig Dug and places them in a new environment. The action no longer takes place underground, but rather on top of small islands. The islands are usually larger than the width of the screen, so the action scrolls horizontally.

Once again, Dig Dug must rid the world of Pookas and Fygars. This time he has two weapons at his immediate disposal. He still has his trusty pump which can be used to fill enemies with air until they pop. But he also has a jackhammer, which can be used to weaken faults on the island and create cracks along the ground. When a section of the island is completely separated by cracks the smaller component of the island falls off into the sea, taking any enemy on its surface with it. If Dig Dug does not plan carefully, he could end up drowning as a result of his own jackhammering.

Dig Dug II never came close to the level of popularity that the first Dig Dug enjoyed. It was ported to both the Famicom Disk System and the NES/Famicom, and it was ported very successfully. It retained every feature of the arcade game, and more than doubled the number of distinct levels from 32 to 72. Later NES levels were decorated with different themes besides islands, such as a volcano. After the Nintendo DS launched, Namco released a game Dig Dug: Digging Strike that bridged the two Dig Dug games together, as well as cement Dig Dug's relationship to Mr. Driller.

Story
Dig Dug is on the job once again. Several islands have been infested with Pookas and Fygars and Dig Dug must get rid of them... even if it means demolishing half of the island. When he pumps the enemies or sinks them in the sea, Dig Dug must hop from one island to the next exterminating the nuisances.

At a glance

 * You control Dig Dug along the island with the joystick.
 * Press one button to use the air pump, and another button to activate your jackhammer.
 * You must destroy every Pooka and Fygar to advance to the next stage.
 * You must avoid contact with Pookas and Fygars, as well as their ghosts, and avoid falling in the sea.
 * Use your pump to blow up enemies. Enemies that don't pop begin to deflate.  They are safe to pass through.
 * Use the jackhammer to create cracks in the ground from the pegs in the ground.
 * Separated sections of island will fall in to the water, taking enemies, and possibly Dig Dug, with it.

In depth

 * Controls & Characters
 * Strategies