The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

DIAMOND MINE 2

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade Maze And Patrolling Nasties Game

Author             :

Standalone Release(s)   : 1986: DIAMOND MINE 2, Blue Ribbon, £2.50

Compilation Release(s) : 1987: BLUE RIBBON GAMES DISC 2, Blue Ribbon, £9.95

Stated compatibility    : Electron

Actual compatibility    : Electron, BBC B, B+ and Master 128

Supplier            : BLUE RIBBON, CDS House, Beckett Road, DONCASTER DN2 4AD

                    Tel: 01322 21134

Disc compatibility     : ADFS 1D00, CDFS 1D00, DFS 1D00

Instructions

Having made it rich from your last DIAMOND MINE, you have invested all your wealth into opening an even bigger mine. Your task is to collect all the diamonds lying in the mine. To help you keep the winch motor going you have a robotic assistant called DIAMO. He keeps the motor going until he runs out of energy or until all the diamonds have been collected on that level.

To collect the diamonds, you must direct the vacuum pipe through the mine shafts using the control keys. Each one collected is sucked up to the top into storage. To complete the level, you must collect all of the diamonds.

If this all sounds too easy, remember that keeping an "eye" on the situation are the mine's inhabitants. If they touch your pipe a life is lost - Attack them from the sides with your pipe! They will then be sucked up, but in time they will re-appear, so watch out!

If you go back on yourself or you try to cross your pipe, a life is lost. To retract your pipe, press <RETURN>. The pipe retracts for as long as you press <RETURN> or until it reaches the top.

Each level gets harder to complete and after level 10, the screens become invisible making the task that much harder. GOOD LUCK!

Game Controls

Z - Left,   X - Right,   * - Up,   ? - Down,   <RETURN> - Retract Pipe

f0 - Sound,   f1 - Quiet

Instructions' Source   : DIAMOND MINE 2 (Blue Ribbon) Inner Inlay

Review (Electron User)

Another budget label game from Blue Ribbon, DIAMOND MINE 2 not surprisingly carries on the scenario set in their earlier game. This is - surprise, surprise - a diamond mine, but one with more to collect, more problems to overcome and quite a bit more "stickability factor".

Actually, I wasn't over-impressed for quite some time, and only came back to load it in again because I found I had a review to write. Then I found I hadn't read the instructions on the cassette inlay properly. I had been trying to guide my vacuum cleaner pipe down through the mine, collecting diamonds, but my lives went quickly because the various monsters kept touching the pipe.

Then I read that <RETURN> would retract the pipe, and the game altered completely!

It was now a frustrating, but possible, assignment to collect all the diamonds from one level, on occasions having to retract a long length of pipework as a monster appeared near the top of the screen. Still, there was always the revenge of sucking it up in the vacuum for some bonus points.

The direction keys can be used in conjunction, so corners could be negotiated simply and swiftly, but that didn't make the game any easier to win.

Should the pipework clear a screen, a harder mine soon appeared and after ten such, the screens become invisible. However, I will have to take Blue Ribbon's word for that as I've not got there yet. But I'll keep playing until I do!

Sound ........................... 6
Graphics ........................ 8
Playability ..................... 8
Value for money ................ 10
Overall ......................... 8

Phil Tayler, ELECTRON USER 3. 7