Front View & Side Art
It is a cute game that is played underground and just at the surface. The game is built around three characters:
Meet Dig Dug. Just a friendly guy with a shovel and air pump, in an underground suit that spends much of his time being chased by balloon creatures and eating vegetables. Your job is to keep Dig Dug alive.
This is Pooka, a balloon creature who wears cute little goggles. Don't be fooled though; if he can touch Dig Dug, he's a goner!
Last but not least is Fygar, a balloon creature with a bit of heartburn... ahh, actually a fire-breathing balloon. He will kill Dig Dug not only by touching him, but if Dig Dug ends up in a horizontal tunnel with him, Dig Dug could be toast.
According to the Operation, Maintenance, and Service Manual, "the object is for Dig Dug to destroy monsters by pumping them up or dropping rocks on them". Dig Dug *digs* (appropriately) horizontally or vertically through the ground as he walks. He moves faster when walking where a tunnel already exists, or at the surface. He may pump in the direction he is or was last moving. The pump's hose is actually quite long. If Dig Dug's pump hose contacts a Pooka or Fygar, he inflates it. It only takes a few pumps to cause them to explode. Of course you can always wait under a rock for a Pooka or Fygar, then move out of the way and let the rock crush them.
Of course, you should keep Dig Dug away from Fygar's fiery breath, which also can reach long distances, as well as through thin walls of dirt. Generally, Pooka and Fygar will stay in tunnels and they cannot dig their own. Occassionally, Pooka or Fygar will turn into a ghost and travel through the ground to another tunnel. They may also leave their cave if Dig Dug opens the tunnel they are in by walking into it, or by dropping a rock from above.
If you drop two rocks on any round, a vegetable will appear near the center of the board for ten seconds. Run over it for a tasty bonus score. The flowers on the surface correspond to the round number.