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Title Emerald Mines (Kingsoft)
Game Type Puzzle
Players 1-2
Compatibility Now with Version 6.. All Amigas
Submission blobb@dircon.co.uk

Review

Q. Why will I never sell my Amiga?

A. Because it plays Emerald Mines....


For anyone out there who doesn't know already, Boulderdash was a
phenomonen on the C64. Zzap 64, the old future publishing magazine,
worshiped it. It was one of those rare perfect blends of puzzle and arcade
that was limited in variety of puzzles only by the imagination of the
creator. The components were rocks, earth, diamonds, green slime,
butterflies and squares, a time limit and magic walls. Remember Rockford?
Are the memories of that bizarre sfx introduction coming back....

Well Emerald Mines was the Amiga conversion (or Rip off) of Boulderdash.
The only problem was, it was better. Oh yes. Unquestionably. Better
graphics and sound, the ability to save after each screen and as for the
addition of new components, it made the possibilities endless. Teamwork
mode! 4 coloured keys and doors, dynamite, homing aliens, homing signals,
coconuts, emeralds and diamonds... oh joy...

The first Emerald Mines was a budget release by Kingsoft in 1987, quickly
replaced by Emerald mines 2 which included an additional editor for
levels. Then there started to appear compilations of 80 puzzles created
by user groups and people in the scene. These releases actually had
improved graphics and consistently improving game engines, being tweaked
by the groups themselves. After 20 or so emerald mines, one group began
emerging as the foremost obsessed with this game. No-one Inc. No-one mines
were spawned and produced 20 No-one Mines, later other groups joined in,
each adapting the graphics slightly. I myself have at least 30 different
emerald mines with 80 screens on each, some of them are incredibly
infuriating but all are possible and I seem to never tire of going back to
this game again and again and getting just one screen further. I however,
am a mere amateur compared to the Emerald Mines Fan Club who seem to have
at least 100 or more disks of Emerald mines and it's variants. Surely that
must tell you something about the cult status of this classic game.

They are on the Web at...http://mcs.nl/emc/emc.html