Collecting treasure[edit]
The only objective that you need to complete which will advance you to the next stage of the game, is collecting all of the treasure chests. Before every level starts, you are given a preview of the whole stage. A good rule of thumb is to observe how the stage is divided by buildings, and where the door is located. The key will appear near the last treasure chest that was collected, so the closer that last chest is to the door, the less distance you will need to cover in order to unlock the door with the key and escape. By observing how the stage is divided you can come up with a plan of attack that will lead you throughout the stage and have you finish up by the door.
Trapping enemies[edit]
As the stages go by, the number of enemies that appear to patrol the maze will increase. Keeping them out of your way becomes more and more important. At first, it may seem desirable to fill up holes and bury your enemies whenever you have the chance. You earn a 1000 point bonus for each buried enemy at the end of a stage. Enemies that are buried return to play fairly quickly. But as the levels get more difficult, it may become a better strategy to dig up a number of holes and leave them alone. Enemies will fall into them and become stuck. it will take them some time to climb out of the holes, and then they will fall into subsequent holes, delaying them even further. Furthermore, holes that enemies climb out of don't result in grave markers which will interrupt your digging power if you have collected one or more shovels. Just make sure that you create these holes somewhere that is out of the way for you so that you don't accidentally fall into one yourself.
Doors, warps, and springs[edit]
Part of the strategy to safely collecting all of the treasures while avoiding your enemies, is to use doors, warps, and springs carefully. Doors can help you out, but they can also get you into trouble if you're not careful about how you open them. More often than not, an enemy will not open a door unless you are directly on the other side of it. When you open a door, anyone on the other side of the door is flung aside and stunned for a brief period of time. This includes you. Using warps is a far simpler matter. When you step on a warp, you will be transported to another warp that is visible on the screen. If more than one warp is visible, the warp you travel to is chosen at random. If no other warp is visible, you will not warp. Some treasures can only be collected by warping to their location. Springs can also be used to escape enemies. If an enemy or two is chasing close behind, you can run to a spring, and leap in some direction to get away, even back over them if you desire. When you spring through the air, you can use weapons like the flame gun to attack enemies as you leap around. Enemies can't use springs or warps.
Using other tools[edit]
Collecting power-ups and weapons can give you a critical edge against the enemies. There is almost reason not to collect the shovel and skate power-ups that get revealed when you walk across "P" panels. In general, weapons are a good idea to collect. It's possible to remove enemies much faster with the weapons than it is to dig holes and bury enemies that fall in. However, by collecting a weapon, you are sacrificing the ability to dig holes, which will prevent you from utilizing the delay tactic described above. Just about any item left behind by a buried enemy is worth collecting since they usually freeze or slow down the enemies, or make you invulnerable. The only item that is of questionable use is the dynamite. If you are not careful, it's possible to lay dynamite down when you meant to open a door. And since you can only lay one dynamite bundle down at a time, you can only use it a limited number of times before it is used up.
Completing the game[edit]
While the stages differ on some details, such as the time period, layout, number of treasures, and number of enemies chasing you, stages 1 through 31 all have the same objective. The only stage which is substantially different is the final stage, Stage 32. On this stage, there are no buildings, and the playfield is wide open. In addition to all of the enemies and treasures scattered about the stage, there exists one very large enemy who is the boss of the game. This boss does not directly attack the player. Rather, he tries to remain upfield of the player the entire time. He roams back and forth and fires orbs from the top of his head. In general, you shouldn't concern yourself too much with the boss; the flood of enemies that are free to attack you from any direction should be your bigger concern. It is best to try to walk in straight lines and turn as little as possible, in order to keep most of the enemies behind you. Working from the top of the screen to the bottom also makes the boss' projectiles less effective. Once you collect all of the chests on the level, the boss will be destroyed, and you will start the game over from Stage 1.