AGH Atari 8-Bit Computer Review: BOULDERS AND BOMBS by CBS Software/K-Byte Boulders and Bombs is a digging game a-la Dig Dug, but that's about where the similarities end. In this action title that can be played with up to three other people (more on this later), you must get three men across the screen, through tunnels that you make either by using your auger or bombs. You can alternate between the auger (a fancy word for an automatic shovel) and the spelunker by pressing the joystick button. Your digging may be hampered by rocks -- the higher the level, the greater the number of rocks that get in your way. In an emergency, you can plant a bomb by twisting your joystick clockwise in a circle. Above the ground, the sky is infested with a hostile flock of birds -- a mother and her three offspring. This is where the multiplayer capabilities come in. Up to three other players can take command of the baby birds, which drop either nuclear rods or rods that turn into fungus when they reach the tunnel. The birds can drop rods through any terrain, though they are greatly slowed down by rocks. It's a neat little premise upon which to build a game. Unfortunately, there challenge here isn't too exciting. After the novelty wears off you notice the details, like the spelunker's utter ineptness at dropping bombs. It's similar to the frustration players get when unsuccessfully trying to pull off an impossible special move in Mortal Kombat or many other fighting games. And while the graphics are sharp and colorful, they never really change that much -- just new boulders in the same old places. Recommended if you're playing with friends; otherwise, take a pass on this game. Title Boulders And Bombs Publisher CBS Software/K-Byte System Atari 400/800/XL/XE Graphics 7 Sound 4 Gameplay 5 Overall 5 Reviewer Keita Iida