Genre: Arcade
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Atari

Unlike the limitations-filled 2600 and 5200 versions, this 7800 adaptation veritably lifts the character and dirt graphics straight from the arcade original, while the enemies and boulders look almost as good! The stages can become quite evocative as they take on interesting color patterns, providing some tension for the player: "Just got to the dreaded green and white soiled stage, here we go!"

Sharing the same sound chip, this 7800 version of the game has the identical audio to the 2600 port. But in this case that's no bad thing, as the 2600 version's creamy smooth, pleasantly chimey "walking" melody is vastly more pleasurable to listen to than the harsh and plinky arcade rendition's.

Like many arcade games of this era, Dig Dug is filled with depth, and there are several tactics which can be employed. This 7800 port players magnificently in general, although the increased time required to inflate an enemy means that the difficulty level is quite high!

Dig Dug was ported to dozens of platforms over the decades, and while this isn't the most faithful arcade iteration, like many Atari 7800 releases it has a charm all its own: the warm music is great, and it lacks the sprite flickering of other versions, such as that on the NES. All-in-all, an excellent port!