 |
DAN STRIKES
BACK (1984) |
REVIEW
by Nightcrawler
For
those of you who remember Diamonds [1983] (a Dig Dug clone), Dan Strikes Back
is the successful follow up. Dan, of the title, has to descend through six floors
of maze and mayhem to find his ultimate goal, The Great Diamond. Collecting
diamonds and mushrooms as he goes to unlock each floor, Dan even has the opportunity
to collect Magic Mushrooms that sprout up randomly for more points. Hot on your
trail is Brian The Blob! Yes he's back and greener than ever and he's out to
stop you with a host of friends that bounce in a diagonal pattern across the
screen to make things harder for you. Brian, although slightly slower then Dan
chases him everywhere and you can often get your comeuppance if he corners Dan,
so be careful.
Level 1
Quite simple this one, collect all mushrooms to open the gates below. Be careful,
as there are a couple of places that you can't climb back up again, forcing
you to fall down further before ascending again via a different route.
Level 2
Watch out for the randomly opening gates. Use these to block off Brian. You
only need to collect the diamonds here to open the gates to the next level.
Level 3
The Spider! You must break through several webs, which take a few seconds to
tear, but stay clear of Brian who can still move through them at normal speed.
Also beware the spider, as he spins webs to replace the ones you break. Collect
all the mushrooms to unlock the gates to the next stage.
Level
4
You have to collect the outer diamonds first to open the centre vault, which
contains the author Simon Hunt's initials and the remaining diamonds needed
to descend to the next stage.
Level 5
Probably the hardest level this one. Down each side of the screen there are
5 individual diamonds that are barred by locked doors. To open these you have
to first collect the two diamonds at the bottom. With this done you will now
find the top two gates open. Now every diamond collected will open two more
gates. However, you still need to collect all the diamonds to open the level
gates at the bottom.
Level 6
The end! Collect all the mushrooms around the Great Diamond's inner chamber
to unlock the bottom two gates, which will allow you entry to your prize! Collect
the Great Diamond and make a dash back through the levels up to the top screen
to victory.
This
is easily one of my favourite games for the Atari with its irresistible desire
to get the Great Diamond and escape. Good animation on the characters and reasonable
music, which can be switched off to the sounds of the Nasties if desired. Like
many games of it's era there is no special ending, the games monsters just get
a little faster as you start all over again. However, this aside, Dan Strikes
Back is a highly addictive, if occasionally frustrating challenge!
 |
"Diamonds
are Forever!"
(9/10) |
 Lost Life Tune |
GAME
TIPS
Always keep one step ahead of the every pursuing Brian the Blob. On some parts
of the level it is possible to lead Brian into areas that will keep him occupied
for a while, such as opening/shutting gates or some un-climbable sections of
platform.
GAME
CHARACTERS
| DIGGER DAN - |  |
| BRIAN THE BLOB - |  |
| NASTIES - |  |
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| THE SPIDER - |  |
CLICK
HERE to Download an Unlimited Lives file for use in the Atari 800Win
Emulator.
The
World's Most Famous Diamonds
(Pictures
and information on all the World's Most Famous Diamonds, including a section
on diamond grading)
famousdiamonds.tripod.com/famousdiamonds.html
Diamond
Buying Guide
(Includes
Diamond Glossary and Grading guide)
www.thediamondbuyingguide.com/