Boulder Dash
Boulder Dash was originally released on Atari computers and has been adapted to several systems since and generated several sequels. It’s most remarkable port, however, is the adaptation to the Atari 2600.
In Boulder Dash you play the role of Rockford, a miner who’s goal is to collect diamonds through a set of caves while avoiding the dangers in them and trying to do so as fast as possible. Rockford must dig through the soil in the caves and avoid the falling rocks or becoming trapped by them. Fireflies, butterflies, amoebas, and slime await him in the caves, each representing a different challenge. Fireflies move in a clockwise manner and are explosive, capable of killing Rockford on touch. They can be killed by throwing a stone on them, which also leads to an explosion. Butterflies behave similar to fireflies but move counter-clockwise. When they explode they leave behind nine diamonds. Amoebas are not directly dangerous to Rockford but they can trap him or block his way. Thankfully, amoebas make fireflies and butterflies explode, so this can be used to the player’s advantage. Slime affects how boulders move when dropped on it and the effect is random. The 2600 port of the game comes as close to the original game as it is possible with the system. The game features all 16 caves and intermissions of the original and offers five difficulty levels. Game sound is as close to the original as it gets and even the physics have been programmed to work as in the original. It is hard to believe that this is an Atari 2600 game! Only 250 copies of the game were made so getting a copy may be difficult. Believe me, though, it is well worth it.
TrekMD is an MD by day and a writer by night, a lover of all things Atari.
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