Diamond Digger AKA Raiders of the Forbidden Mine AKA Raiders of the Lost Mine AKA Gold Miner is a real-time Digging Game. The objective is to collect as many diamonds as possible by manuevering the player character through a series of levels situated in an underground mine while evading the ghost capable of killing upon contact. Each level contains food boxes to ensure the player character does not run out of energy and a key needed to unlock the door to the next level.
This Video Game contains examples of:
- All-Natural Gem Polish: Even with the rudimentary graphics it's clear the diamonds to be dug up are faceted, which of course isn't how new diamonds are found in real-life.
- Collision Damage: The player gets no means to defend against the ghost lurking underground and if they catch up to the player, it's game over.
- Cool Gate: The shaft to be reached in each level is the only static object that's animated. It looks like an energy gate.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: In the introduction, it's stated that at the entrance of the mine there's bloody writing on the wall that warns of the ghost haunting the place. What happened to the messenger is unknown; they have equal chances of being alive or dead.
- Locked Door: To get to the next level, you must get a key to unlock the shaft further into the mine.
- One-Hit-Point Wonder: Touch the enemy once and your player character is dead.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: Each level, the player is pursued by the greedy ghost that haunts the mine. They can move through undug soil and, worse, they can move diagonally, which the player character can't.
- Shout-Out: Raiders of the Lost Mine is clearly referring to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Wizard Needs Food Badly: The food meter doubles as the time limit. If "FOOD" reaches 0 (effectively -1, as a few steps more can be taken after hitting 0), it's an automatic game over from starvation. Extra food packages sprinkled around each level are a necessity to gather, especially in later levels because they start with a lower food count.
