The Killer List of Videogames

Dig Dug


--- Set Up The Ultimate Gameroom or Media Center ---

Click a category to get help from our sponsors!

Dig Dug - Japanese Title

Manufacturer: Atari
Year: 1982
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Labyrinth/Maze
Type: Videogame

Monitor:

  • Orientation: Vertical
  • Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
  • CRT: Color
  • 19-inch Electrohome G07
Conversion Class: Namco Galaga
Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Alternating
Control Panel Layout: Single Player Ambidextrous
Controls:
  • Joystick: 4-way (up, down, left, right)
  • Buttons: 1

Sound: Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp)

Dig Dug - Cabinet Image


Click here to contribute another image.


View 3-D Model (QuickTime (TM))

View Control Panel Image


Description

Dig tunnels underground and use an air pump to inflate and blow-up your enemies. You can also drop rocks on your foes. Dislodge two rocks and a bonus fruit or vegetable will appear in the center of the screen. A level ends when all the enemies have been destroyed.

Know anything more about this game?
Click here to contribute a description or other text information.
Thanks!

Cabinet Information

The cocktail version features two control panels, each with a four-way joystick and a Pump button on the left- and right-hand side of the stick. The 13-inch Electrohome color raster monitor is mounted vertically and the screen image flips for each player. The top glass features the game instructions, point values and cartoon renditions of Fygar, Pooka and Dig Dug.

Cheats, Tricks and Bugs

Get either a Pooka or Fygar right on your tail, then pump him up but not so much that he explodes. Do this right near a rock--be warned that this is rather tricky. The idea is to loosen the rock when the enemy is almost fully inflated, get out of the way, then do a quick reverse and finish off the enemy at exactly the same time as he is crushed by the rock (avoiding the rock yourself, of course). This will confuse the game and all enemies on the current level will disappear leaving you to aimlessly dig tunnels through the dirt. You will not progress to the next level until you drop another rock.

Game Introduction

The game has an amusing cast of characters. The two enemies are Pooka and Fygar. Pookas are animated red tomatoes with yellow sunglasses and Fygars are green dragons who can breathe fire. The player character is Dig Dug, a blue and white robot equipped with a shovel and a pump.

Game Play

If you want to be extra greedy and get more points, eat all the dirt on the level. Leave only two enemies (because they will speed up, and three is too hard to handle). You do not need to eat every little bit of dirt (you can leave long passageways to slow down the enemies). Also leave only Pookas, since the Fygars can burn you through the dirt.

After level 12, the screens repeat in waves of four. There are patterns for these levels. Also, after level 36, all the enemies will speed up. You will have to use new patterns for all the other levels again.

This game does not award extra man after 900,000 points. The score will flip over at 1,000,000. It is very easy to get a score of 999,990 by eating dirt for ten points per section.

At level 256, the game begins with a Pooka on top of the player character. Since there is no way to escape, your game is basically over, no matter how many lives you have left.

Hacks

  • Bub-Bob - Changes the graphics to make them look more like those from Bubble Bobble.
  • Mr. DigDo! - An amalgam of Mr.Do! and Dig Dug.
  • Zig Zag - Has different colors.

Miscellaneous

LICENSOR: Namco
WWW: http://www.zxscreens.i12.com/zxscreens/dig_dug_arcade.htm

Scarcity in collections (VAPS.org)

Very Common - There are 167 known instances of this game owned by one of our 900 members. Of these, 124 of them are original dedicated machines, 4 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards have been placed in another game cabinet, and 39 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

Of the 42,694 video games (3,154 unique) tracked by the Video Game Preservation Society, this game ranks a 80 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on ownership records.

- There are 12 VAPS members currently looking for this game.

Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. Some common games show up as very rare here because collectors don't want them (they are common because arcade operatos might be sitting on tons of them in warehouses), while some fairly scarce games are grabbed by collectors every time they show up. Additionally, some games made in the last 5 years are still making money for operators and are thus not yet affordable to the typical collector. For a clue to value, compare how many people have this game vs. how many people want this game and then click on the eBay links to help determine an accurate price range.

Technical

The game uses three Z80 microprocessors and a Namco 3-channel PSG for sounds.

eBay Listings

Click here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for the Dig Dug Videogame machine and items related to it.

Click here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for machines and parts made by Atari.

Alternatively, check out the IAM/KLOV custom report of the hottest coin-op machines on eBay, powered by Ace.com (updated throughoutthe day).

COMPARE PRICES ON:

Dig Dug

1. Namco Arcade DIG DUG cabinet

Auction ends in: 1 hour, 36 minutes

 8 bids
 
$256.00
 
2. Atari DIG DUG video arcade game manual set Original

Auction ends in: 8 hours, 51 minutes

 eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
 
$24.99
 
3. 4 WAY JOYSTICK MS PAC MAN GALAGA DIG DUG ATARI NAMCO S

Auction ends in: 2 days, 2 hours

 eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
 
$18.95
 
4. NAMCO classics JAMMA Dig Dug, Pacman more!!Coin Arcade

Auction ends in: 3 days, 4 hours

 0 bids
 
$199.00
 
5. Atari Dig Dug Mini Nice and Working in CA

Auction ends in: 3 days, 5 hours

 0 bids
 
$299.99
 
6. Dig Dug 1982 Atari Service Manual & Schem. ORIGINAL!

Auction ends in: 4 days, 1 hour

 eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
 
$15.00
 
7. 2 DIG DUG pcbs for 1982 video arcade game by Atari

Auction ends in: 4 days, 2 hours

 0 bids
 
$0.99
 
8. Atari TRANSFORMER for Centipede, Dig Dug, Pole Position

Auction ends in: 4 days, 5 hours

 BuyItNow:
 
$29.99
 
9. Dig Dug Atari Video Arcade Internal wiring/transformer

Auction ends in: 5 days, 1 hour

 0 bids
 
$0.01
 
10. DIG DUG pcb by ATARI 1981 not working

Auction ends in: 5 days, 5 hours

 0 bids
 
$0.99
 
Additional Results Available
Click Here To Browse This Category on eBay
(exits this site)
Powered by Ace.com

Legacy

  1. Dig Dug
  2. Dig Dug II

Manuals

  1. Operation, Mainteance and Service Manual  95 Pages, 5415 KB File.
  2. Manual  6 Pages, 662 KB File.
  3. Manual  7 Pages, 796 KB File.
  4. Operation, Mainteance and Service Manual  32 Pages, 1765 KB File.

Foto-Finder™

  1. The Encyclpedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 128; Color photo;
Dig Dug - Cabinet Image


Dig Dug - Title screen image


Dig Dug - Title screen image

Dig Dug - Title screen image

Dig Dug - Title screen image


Click here to contribute another image.






Return to the index | Return to the Main Page

© 1995-2008 by The International Arcade Museum®. All rights reserved.

If you wish to use material from our web sites, please take a look at our Acceptable Use, Copyright, and Trademark Page. Except as described on that page, any use of the information found here may not be copied or reprinted on any medium, either physical or electronic, without the express written permission of The International Arcade Museum.