Lode Runner On-Line: Mad Monks' Revenge(PC) mini-FAQ

(This FAQ covers levels 151-187, the add-ons to those already in LRLR, 

but no multiplayer strategies.)

version 1.0.0

copyright 2003 by Andrew Schultz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent. 

However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this 

FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that 

means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry. 

 

         **AD SPACE**

 

My home page:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762

 

**FAQ-SPECIFIC AWESOME LINK**

http://www.daggert.net/todd/Programming/Presage/LodeRunner/Loderunner1.h

tm

 

The author has released this game for free. It's well worth a look.

 

================================

 

  1. INTRODUCTION

 

    1.1. THIS GAME'S ORIGINS

 

    1.2. ABOUT THIS FAQ/TERMINOLOGY

 

  2. DIFFERENCES WITH LRLR

 

  3. THE LEVELS

 

    3-1. MAP LEDGER

 

    3-2. WALKTHROUGHS

 

  Here you can search for the level number in two ways: #167 or 167:

 

  4. SUNDRY FRIPPERY

 

    4.1. BUGS AND OTHER ANNOYANCES

 

    4.2. THE ENDING

 

    4.3. SKITS

 

  5. VERSIONS

 

  6. CREDITS

 

================================

 

  1. INTRODUCTION

 

    1.1. THIS GAME'S ORIGINS

 

  Lode Runner Online(LRO) contains two logical extensions of Lode 

Runner: the Legend Returns(LRLR.) My LRLR FAQ has some info on previous 

versions. LRO is still very retro despite online capabilities--it's LRLR 

with a few more items.

 

    1.2. ABOUT THIS FAQ/TERMINOLOGY

 

  Before we begin: LRLR and LRO are acronyms described previously.

 

  Second of all: I have not covered any of the first 150 levels in this 

FAQ. The first part of the game is similar to LRLR down to the high 

score list--the 150 levels are already in another one I submitted to 

GameFAQs.com. You can refer to any tricky level on that page. That FAQ 

doesn't really describe the Windows controls so I'll make them clear, 

because I may also occasionally use keystrokes to describe the actions 

you need to make, i.e. 7-6-7-6-7-6 describes going right and digging 

left. Most of the time it'll be when you're in a tight spot. It's a lot 

like the old Apple controls but you have a third, bottom, row which 

allows you to use the special items.

 

7 = dig left  8 = go up    9 = dig right

4 = go left   5 = go down  6 = go right

1 = get item  2 = use item 3 = set bomb(which you get automatically)

 

  Often when using the keyboard I find that I look for places to hide to 

rearrange my fingers before a critical spot where I know I have to hit a 

certain procession of keys. Also early on I find I mix up 1/2/3 and that 

using two hands is awkward in the long term--but it's useful when I need 

to make a quick move. Another thing useful when I need to move exactly 

is the F7 key; often I find that I need to speed things up(and it makes 

a great challenge later) to get through parts I already know or that 

involve boring running. So I hit F6 a bunch of times to start.

 

  I also use terms from my LRLR FAQ. "3-ladder," for instance, means a 

ladder 3 units tall(each level is 28x16 units) and often when I mention 

"dig left twice" it's implied you dig left, move right and dig left. I 

try to hit the painful details less as the FAQ moves on as it's implied 

that your skill will get better.

 

  The most contentious notation may be of the sort 4->3-<2->1. This 

says: dig four holes. Drop, dig the three to the right, drop, dig the 

two to the left, drop, dig the one to the right.

 

  The only anti-spoiler strategical hint I can mention that may not have 

been emphasized in my LRLR FAQ. And the only other hint I can give is to 

make sure the number lock is down.

 

  See my LRLR guide for basic strategies or observations about monk 

behavior.

 

  2. DIFFERENCES WITH LRLR

 

  Aside from the thirty-seven extra levels...new squares include pools, 

which are lethal for you or monks to fall in and cannot be approached 

from the side. However, using a pickaxe over a pool causes it to be 

filled in. However, the biggest change is that there are now squares 

that wink in and out. There are generally eight different possible 

cycles for the squares, and they are often lumped together to force you 

to use a sense of timing. You'll die if you're in one as it comes back, 

but you can stand on one and wait for it to fall, and sometimes you'll 

need to--or it can block bad guys behind from following or even kill 

them.

 

  You also need to be aware of different types of bombs. There are now 

four types on the terrain(I count big bombs separately--below are bombs 

you can get up to four of.)

--bombs gone for good once you get them[regular, from LRLR]

--bombs that constantly regenerate. For any one level a bomb will always 

regenerate every X seconds, but they have different cycles on different 

levels.

--bombs that blow up at the start and don't reappear. Very rare.

--bombs that continually blow up the area around them. Often you have to 

run by them after the area has healed and before the bomb is lit.

 

  There are also a couple of new backgrounds: levels 151 and 166 show 

these off, murky brown/black and semi-fluorescent green caves.

 

  3. THE LEVELS

 

    3-1. MAP LEDGER

 

[space] = area you can walk/fall through

      X = square you can dig through/bomb

      * = square you can only dig or big-bomb

      H = ladder

      ~ = rope

      V = trap door down

      h = ladder that forms when you've got all the gold

      S = sticky gooey square that slows you down

      e = enemy

      u = you

      1 = 1 point treasure(chest)

      2 = 2 point treasure(cart)

      3 = 3 point treasure(skull)

      4 = 4 point treasure(gold pile)

      . = bomb

      ^ = hide-out/cave

      ; = pot of goo

      | = snare

      % = drill

      & = stun gun

      $ = block containing gold chest

      # = block containing bomb

    T/t = to/from teleporters. If there are more than one, they are 

detailed below the map.

    R/r = red door, red key

    G/g = green door, green key

    Y/y = yellow door, yellow key

      B = big bomb

      ` = pickaxe

      ! = bombs that blow up at level's start but don't reappear

 

**new stuff for Lode Runner Online**

 

      i = infinite bombs to pick up

      I = infinite bombs exploding

abcdfjk = "rounds" of undiggable ground that appear/disappear

  NOTE: ones found in separate areas may not be synchronized.

      ? = rounds I didn't map out but describe instead

  Note that the text for rounds is not totally synchronized, i.e. abc in 

one area may not be coordinated with abc in another. The exact details 

don't seem important to solving the game, so I decided to look at what 

this all means for practical purposes.

 

    3-2. WALKTHROUGHS

 

    LEVEL #151: DEATH TRAP

 

gG

HH        u

H  aaaaaaaH       e

H  X3XX3XXH       Hbbbbbbb

H  bbbbbbbH       HX3XX3XX

H  XXXXX3XHaaaaaaaHccccccc

H  cccccccHXXXXX3XHXXXXX3X

H  X3XX3XXHbbbbbbbHddddddd

H  XXXXXXXHX3XXXXXHX3XX3XX

H    XXX  HcccccccHXXXXXXX

H         HXXXXX3XH XXXX

X         HdddddddH

XX        HX3XXXXXH

XX XXX    H XXXXX H     XX +

XXXXXXX   H       H   XXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  This is a rather rough introduction. The timing is tricky to gauge, 

but fortunately you don't have many bad guys distracting you. The 

tactics to get the hidden gold look roughly similar, and they usually 

are, but the skulls at the bottom can be a bit of a nuisance.

 

  For the left side, you'll want to wait until the top side forms. Then 

go above the left skull. Wait for the ground below to disappear, dig 

right, then move right and dig left. Dig left in the 1x2 area to get 

out. Time is somewhat short here, so you may not succeed a few times. 

Ironically the three chests give you a bit more time; again, go over the 

right top chest, drop and then drop right(which gives more time than 

digging) and then go right and dig left. Dig right to get out.

 

  The center has a small nuance to the left skulls there. You can get 

the UL of the skills as before, but now there is a bit of a delay to get 

on top of it, and that can cost you later. My preferred solution is to 

go down the ladder to the left and dig left of the DL skull. Then go up 

and riht when the blocks there disappear. Dig right so you fall onto the 

gold, and you'll have enough time.

 

  You're halfway there now, and it's a good idea to get the bad guy to 

go the other way. Go to the bottom of the stair and a bit right. Dig 

right and then go one up the right stair. You can just stand on top of 

the UR gold in the center and then dig/fall for the other one.

 

  The right side looks the same as the left but in fact is not a mirror 

image. To get the DL gold you will need to use the same trick as the 

center DL, since there are bricks two-deep under that gold piece. One 

dig won't cut it. As for the right side, again run over the one skull, 

and this time fall right and then go right and dig left. Dig right. Even 

if the bad guy has appeared in the bottom right you can run over him 

into the door.

 

    LEVEL #152: PITVILLE

 

t

u     t   t   t     t

H*aaabaaabaaabaaab**1

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *1

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *1

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *1

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *1

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *1

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *XXX****h

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *       h

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *       h

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 *       h

H*  *1  *2  *3  *4 ****hXh h

1*  *   *   *   *  *+*XhXheh

T*  *T  *T  *. T*.T*****XXXX

 

  Each teleporter kicks you to the receptacle above and perhaps one 

square to the right.

 

  This level has two parts: first, get the timing for the teleporters 

right. Second, get past the two bad guys guarding the door.

 

  Go down for the first gold. Enter the teleportal and when the a-bricks 

reappear, run to the edge. Wait a half-second and drop through. Repeat, 

although when above the 4-pointers you don't have to worry about time. 

It'll kick you to the far right, and the level-end ladders will appear.

 

  Now I find it expedient to use one of the bombs to get rid of the monk 

that chases you. You can go to the ladder top and release, or you can 

dig a hole and place the bomb as you run over the monk once he's fallen 

in. Either way he appears in the right and is a nonfactor.

 

  The second monk's a bit tougher to deal with. If you managed to dig 

your way around the first monk then you can use a bomb at the stair base 

across the wall from him and run U/R. But a sure enough way is to go to 

the top of the ladder to the right and dig. Just before the bad guy 

falls in, drop down and dig. He'll fall in and be stuck. This leaves you 

a free path to the door; place the bomb on the other side of the wall 

and climb up the stairs.

 

    LEVEL #153: IDOL WORSHIP

 

~~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H

 u H                       H

XXXXXXXXXXX    X           H

XaaaXbbXXX    X?X          H

XaXXXbXbX    X3 3X         H

XaaXXbXbX    X X X         H

XaXXXbXbX    XVXVX         H

XaaaXbbXX     V V          H

XXXXXXXXX    X X X         H

   2      X   VXV   X      H

 XXXXXX  X?X   e   X?X     H

e       *X X XXXXX X X  X  H

****X?X**X1X a1b1c X1X X X H

    4 4 *X X 1X1X1 X X X X H

+abcX X aa b c d f g j k a H

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  There are a few timing issues here, and although the level doesn't 

overpower you with brilliance, there's some stuff you need to recognize.

 

  First, 6-7-(drop)-9 immediately, 6. Now fall off the platform to the 

right just as the square behind you fills in. The bad guy will run 

towards you and fall in the gap. Drop over him(wait for the square to 

refill if you want to be cautious) and get the two gold pieces. Drop 

right and dig right when you can, before moving. Note you can run right 

freely as that is how the blocks fill up/disappear.

 

  Falling at the right time is important for the rest of the level. 

You'll also want to remember that the bottom squares(four are visible at 

any one time) where holes will fill in above don't have the whitish 

lines on top; this is important when the bad guy is running at you, and 

you need to pause somewhere safe. You'll also want to dig a hole over 

him so he's trapped when he wants to get up.

 

  Whenever you drop, of course make sure you're not dropping on the bad 

guy. If he's covering a place you need to get to, you may need to fall a 

few squares ahead of him to the right to get him going, then dig to get 

him out of the trap, and hope he winds up somewhere better next time.

 

  Now there are three structures with trap doors at their apexes and 

switching solid squares below. Drop on any of them when you can see the 

solid square--for the center part, fall left or right. There are traps 

below that will see you through. Now you'll need to dig your way onto 

one of the gold chests and drop left/right onto the other one. Here note 

the switching bricks above and below aren't synchronized, so be sure to 

drop at a good time when you won't get stuck.

 

  You will have to fall through the center three times given that there 

are three golds side by side. For the third you'll still have to dig and 

fall as before--just make sure the bad guy can't get to you.

 

  For the structures with one gold in the shaft, drop on them when the 

shifting squares are visible. You'll have to dig the UL platform's right 

edge and wait to drop for the left one.

 

  To get out of this, dig into the E as you started the level and dig 

out. Then you'll have to drop onto the bad guy you potted originally. 

Run across to the left when the rightmost square in the door's area 

appears. If you fall a bit, no problem. Next level please.

 

    LEVEL #154: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXeXXXXXX    XXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXX H XXXXX 3i XXXXX   X

XXXXXX  H  XXXX***HXXXXX3 RX

XXXXX   H   XXXXXXHXXXXXH**X

XXXX   3H3   XXXXXHXXXXXHXXX

XXX    3H3    XXXXHXXXXXHXXX

X u~~~~~H~~~~~e   H     HXXX

XXX3    H    3**********HXXX

XXXX    H    XXXXXXXXXXXHXXX

XXXXX3  H  3XXXXXXXXXXXXHXXX

XXXXXX ~H~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXHXXX

XXXrXXX H XXXXXXXXXXXXXXHXXX

XXXXXXXX+XXXXXXXXXXXX   HXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 3eHXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  The red key is a red herring(the resolution just isn't quite high 

enough for you to see, bada-boom.)

 

  What you need to do here is line the bad guys up. It may take a few 

tries, but you can do it. The key things to notice are:

 

1. If you go right and drop and go right and dig, you just nab the guy 

coming down. Immediately after, 

2. If you stay on the ladder just above the two ropes at the bottom, the 

bad guy at the top bounces around. You may use this trick more than 

once.

3. At the top rung of the ladder, you can make bad guys go right for 

some reason and then you can fall right to the rope and drop twice when 

bad guys get close.

4. Bad guys regenerate in the DR. So if you kill one it impedes trying 

to bring them left.

5. That bomb will regenerate after you take it, which is useful.

 

  Given all this, hang around the top and bottom spots, digging to the 

right to slow bad guys up. A last ditch defense is to go into the bomb 

chamber and get the bomb, light it as bad guys climb, and repeat. 

However eventually you'll want all three to come left. Once at the 

bottom of the diamond you can make all three drop, then it's clear 

sailing to the right. Don't stop in the center chamber but rather go all 

the way and then down. This will make one guy fall in a hole. Now you 

can go up to get the next gold piece, and if you really want to get a 

head start, climb down the ladder so that you are a few squares below 

the way back left. The bad guys will drop to your level giving all kinds 

of time to get the last gold and the bomb. Now the door should open and 

you can use the bomb on the two bad guys running at you and still have 

enough time to get another before they come up the stairs. Go back to 

the left chamber and go down the stairs. Place the bomb at the bottom 

and go up. That rids the door of its guardian. Fall down.

 

    LEVEL #155: SHOT IN THE DARK

 

  ~~~~~X ~~~~~~~2X     ~~~%H

 hPPPPPH*PPPPPPPHX*****  1*H

  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXH       1*XH

      4X  11~~~~H      1*4XH

   H* XXH*h   ee*     1*4*XH

   HX*X HXXXXXXXX    1*4**XH

   H  ~H         `  1*4*1*XH

   H    ~~ XXX   * 1*4*1*4XH

   H~~~~ 1H ~     1*4*1*4*XH

    1  1 XH   *** ~~~~~~~~~H

   1XH1XHXH1 X            iH

Y  ********* X   eey   & h*H

*1 ~~~~~~~~~ **************H

 *h          3~3~3~3~3~3~3~H

u  h       |   a b c d a beH

****************************

 

  This level doesn't seem all that tough, actually--more delays than 

challenge at first--but it turns out to have a wicked twist at the end 

which, if you don't have this walkthrough, is tough to figure out given 

how contorted the level is.. The door is tricky to get to, and you ned 

to have sorted a few things out before getting there.

 

  First thing to do is to get the snare and place it and move back. A 

bad guy is coming down the stairs, and you need to trap him. Next you'll 

want to get the gold that's to the right. For this, move to the ladder 

on the right(it takes a while; just keep running into the right wall) 

and go up it. First get the bomb on the ledge above and then go onto the 

rope. Now the rest is easy to figure out but impatience made this hard 

for me to execute. When you see the platform appear to the left, go two 

left onto the next rope. Repeat. There's no final gold over the 

leftmost.

 

  Run back right and get another bomb. Your next task is to get the 

yellow key from the chamber. Drop left after the bomb and go left and 

get the gun. Back up, turn left and blast the two enemies with the gun. 

Run left, getting the key, and place a bomb at the far side. You'll have 

time to back up(even to the key if you didn't get it) and then fall 

down, and the bad guys won't drop after you. Then go back right, wait if 

you need to collect a bomb so you have two, and go all the way up the 

stairs and left. Two blocks away from the wall, drop a bomb. Retreat and 

enter. Then place another bomb at the far left of the next chamber. Go 

left across the rope and before you fall to get the one gold be sure to 

leave the key behind; don't worry, a ladder will let you get to the door 

at the end.

 

  Back right and up. Now get the drill and work on the triangle below 

from left to right. All you have to do is dig the leftmost, then the 

next-leftmost, etc. Next thing to do is make sure again you have two 

bombs. Go to the top, then left, and place the bomb right by the wall. 

Fall through and trade for the pickaxe; you're done with the drill. Drop 

left. Before the pit, use the pickaxe left. Walk over and fall. Go up 

the ladder. Dig left and fall left. Over the next ladder dig each way, 

fall left, climb up the stairs, dig left, fall left and get the final 

far left gold. Back right to the three-rung stair.

 

  Left on the two ropes, dropping once. There's a long stair up. Go 

right at the top and use the pickaxe. Get the gold, go back and wait two 

seconds. Dig right. Once the cave-in disappears, you'll drop. Dig right 

and fall in again. Be careful weaving up the stairs. At the very top you 

will want to run right. You'll make it, and the level-end ladders will 

appear.

 

  Anywhere else and you'd have little chance of getting around the bad 

guys, who appear on each side. But here you can go U/L and place the 

bomb. Now when you drop left there's a ladder to support you so you can 

reach the left wall. Remember to get the yellow key you placed here 

first. That allows you to open the door and solve the level.

 

  It would have been neat to have more than one dark level, but I guess 

you can't have everything. This was well designed.

 

    LEVEL #156: YING YANG

 

XXXXXXXXXXX3      H ~~~~~~~~

XXX  Ie  HXXXX  XXHX.

XX         XXXXXXXHXXX

X           XXXXX$HXXXXX

X1            H   HXXXXXX

XX         XXXH.H$HXXXXXXXI

XX        XXXXHXXXHXXeXXXXXe

XX1     XHXXXuHXXXHX   XXXXX

eXXXXXeXXHXXXHXXXX        1X

 RXXXXXXXH$H HXXX          X

   XXXXXXH  .H            1X

    XXXXXH$XXXXX           X

      XXXHXXXXXXX         XX

       .XHXX  XXXXH  eI  XXX

~~~~~~~~ H      3XXXXXXXXXXX

 

  The hidden gold requires rooting out. The gold you can't reach, you 

must get the bad guys to help you, and because of this the level can 

quickly pass from the realm of challenge into tedium.

 

  Your first task is to get two guys in the upper right and make it so 

you can run about freely. Often bad guys will just wind up there from 

the initial explosions, but just in case you'll want to dig whatever you 

can.  Bad guys will come up the bottom ladder, and you can dig from the 

right and climb the ladder to the right and come back down to fake them 

out.

 

  Through all this you'll want to make sure there's only one guy in the 

lower right, as you'll want to get rid of him next. 9-4-9-4-6, 9-4-9-4-6 

and 9 will get him. Then 6-7 will get you out of the mess. Once 

everyone's stuck again, you can go and get the suspended right gold. 

Here's how. At the top ladder, dig right, drop and dig three right. Then 

dig three below that--eventually you'll drop to where you can only dig 

one square at a time before dropping. That's OK--you may have to wait 

for a bomb to explode to get the rest of the way, but eventually you'll 

get the gold. Now fall left once but wait for the squares to regenerate 

before dropping again--you need to run past the bomb quickly. From the 

ladder, dig down left twice.

 

  With everyone gone it's a good time to get the hidden gold. Dig down 

right from the bottom ladder. Two will appear in short order--fall right 

for them. Then from the top ladder you'll want to dig down left--again, 

two together will appear.

 

  Now the last part--getting the two golds on the left--requires 

patience. Bad guys may or may not appear over there, and then they may 

or(more likely) may not get the gold when they fall. There are generally 

two places where they resurrect, and you'll need to dig them out 

continually and trap them. The bombs aren't necessary for this, but 

they're fun and actually effective if you get impatient. At the top, 

leave one over a bad guy and run, or on the left, dig left, fall and 

leave a bomb.

 

  For the top part, digging is a bit trickier. Dig the two squares to 

the left, then go down once a bad guy is very near. Dig left, fall left, 

and dig right below your first hole. This will trap him completely.

 

  Repeating the rescue-and-entrap method will eventually get the job 

done. The door appears to be at the top of the ladders, but sometimes it 

doesn't show.

 

  If you need to get bad guys away from the pits in the upper left, this 

is a bit tougher. 1-dig and then 2-dig down from the left. Climb down 

the ladder, and you can sucker one guy to run after you and the next one 

will run after and get trapped.

 

    LEVEL #157: DOUBLE TROUBLE

 

           + XX +

      IXXXXH XX HXXXXI

u  3XXXXXXXH XX HXXXXXXX3  e

   XXXXXXXXH    HXXXXXXXX

   XXXXX  XHbeeaHX  XXXXX

    XXX3  XHXXXXHX  3XXX

  1 XXXccc*HXXXXH*cccXXX 1

XXX1 XXX  XH XX HX  XXX 1XXX

XXXX1 XXXTXH XX HXTXXX 1XXXX

XXXXX1 XXXXH    HXXXX 1XXXXX

XXXXXX1  XXHaeebHXX  1XXXXXX

XXXXXXX1   HXXXXH   1XXXXXXX

X   XXXXXX HXXXXH XXXXXX   X

Xe tXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXt eX

XXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  This level is rather symmetrical, and the main problem is getting to 

the other side without attracting the attention of a few bad guys. First 

note the teleporters send you to the lower chambers, where a quick 

meeting with a monk--and your doom--is inevitable.

 

  The first gold pieces are freebies. Drop right. The encased skull 

requires some timing. Once the wall to the right holding the top two 

enemies heals, wait a beat and then go up. From the top of the ladder, 

7-5-7-5-7-5-7 and wait for the wall to the right to heal. 5-7-5. Now you 

can wait for the floor to the left to form. Get the gold and run back 

out.

 

  The UL skull is more straightforward but requires precision. You have 

to go back up the stairs(wait for the left block to appear before 

running up) and then left two squares. When the surface regenerates, run 

left for all you're worth, and you should just make it in time.

 

  Stay at the bottom. Wait for the UL of the blocks sticking the monks 

in to disappear, then wait one beat. Then run up and right over the top 

batch of monks. If it all works well the mobile one on the right will 

give chase but miss, and the UR of the trapped ones will get stuck in 

the wall.

 

    LEVEL #158: FALLING MONKS

 

                           Y

y                          H

jfffffH                    H

      H                    H

     fffffH                H

          H                H

         ffffffH jffffH    H

               H      H    H

               cc     H    H

                      H    H

                      H    H

                      H    H

                      H    H

                      H    H

u                     H   eH

****abcd*****ffff****ff*****

 

  d and j squares appear when c and d disappear, and vice versa.

 

  This level is pretty simple although sometimes you just have bad luck 

and the monk drops right near you after previous falls. Run right and go 

up the stairs. You may have to pause as the ground disappears to the 

right, but it's little problem. Climb up the stairs. Go to the right 

edge(three away from the next stair) and when the next square appears, 

jump on it. Then wait for what's below it and drop right and go up the 

stairs. From here, you'll want to go left when a walkway appears and go 

up the stairs and wait for the next cycle. Do it again and then the last 

time you'll want to go to the edge, wait for the square under the key to 

appear, and get the key. Then go back right. You may need to use the 

left ladder to fake out the monk

 

    LEVEL #159: BEWARE THE MONK CHAMBER

 

   *    *

   *    *             444444

   *    *  HXXH  HXXXXXXXXXX

   *    *  H XXXXXX

   *    *  H

   Xeee+*  H

HHH******  H

H          H

H          H

H          H

H          H

***************************H

                           H

u                          H

                           H

****aaaabbbbccccddddaaaa****

 

b disappears quickly after a, d after c.

 

  Stand by the left edge of a. Run to the right edge of b and wait for 

c/d to appear. Run right again to the edge and wait for a to appear, Run 

right. Get the gun and bom and then get the gold in the UR. Go back to 

the far left and climb the ladder. Place the bomb left of the monks' 

chamber. Position yourself 2L/D of the bomb. Then move back up and blast 

right when the bad guys are close. You should have easy access to the 

door then.

 

    LEVEL #160: LADDER LAND

 

T  T  T  T  T  T  T  T  T

HXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXHXXX

H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H

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H**H  H  H  H**H  H  H  H**

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H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  This is one of the indifferent levels that popped up. It'd be too easy 

for early LRLR, frankly. But here's the solution...

 

  First note that, from the left, the teleporters go to the L, R, C, C, 

L, L, R, C, and R receptacles. Only the center one allows passage to the 

next level, and if you take a teleport before that, you will either get 

stuck with a bad guy or marooned in a cavern.

 

  It's not too bad to get the right side. You can go right down and then 

right and up when the monk is close. Dig a hole to trap him and get the 

rest of the gold to the right. Then you can come around back left and 

dig holes(use the upper part to cross back) where necessary. Then go 

down when you're left of both bad guys and get everything else. You 

should be able to run right immediately but you may need to dig in order 

to get to the third or fourth teleport.

 

    LEVEL #161: THE CHASE!

 

****************************

*   *   *   *   *   *XXX*

*       *       *   *11 * *h

*HXX*********H***   ***H* *h

*H  *   * 1 *H  *t 1*  H* *h

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*  H*  1* 1 *H  *   *H*H* *h

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*HX**  1*****H  *****H*H* *h

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****************************

 

  This is another level that really shouldn't be too taxing. It's much 

easier if the bad guy picks up the gold at the bottom(why didn't they 

flip him with the gold?) and if he does you can just go up top, wait, 

dig left(don't trap him yet) and get his gold. If he doesn't, go up 

anyway, dig left and climb down. On top of the bottom ladder, dig when 

he's coming down the ladder to the left. Then you'll have plenty of time 

to get the gold and go back up.

 

  In either case, the drill is very handy. Once you deal with the bad 

guy, the rest is pretty easy. Drill into the 2x3 chamber with three 

gold. Drill on the right side and fall for more gold. Drill in the 

center of the 5x3 to fall onto more gold and climb up the pair of 

stairs. Drill over the four gold in a column and then drill again. Go 

right for the gold before entering the transporter.

 

  Get the gold to the right, dig, get the next gold and drill below it 

to fall on another. Then wait for the bad guy to make it up the stairs, 

drill in the center and immediately go right. Drop a bomb at the stair 

base, retreat for the gold, and then be prepared to run up the zigzag 

ladders. FAll down and then take the ladder in the far right. At the 

top, drop left into the door.

 

    LEVEL #162: DEMOLITION BRIDGE

 

T  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   It

H H???????????????????? 3  u

H H   iiIiiiIii        ** **

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H H H Hi$i XXXXXX+XXXXXXVXXX

H H H Hi$i XXXXXX?XXXXXXVXXX

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H H H Hi$i XXXXXXVXXXXXXVXXX

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H H H H   H          HH    i

****************************

 

  There are only three runs you have to make, and they are easy, medium 

and very hard in difficulty. The easiest one is actually for the hidden 

gold. After falling/running left into the wall, run right for the bomb, 

and then go left and up the first ladder that leads somewhere. It leads 

to a small ledge, in fact, and as you climb up the ladder you'll want to 

leave a bomb by the third brick up--if you miss by one square, no big 

deal. It's just in the middle. Watch the chain reaction and when it's 

over, go right over the disappearing square. You'll fall through with 

plenty of time to spare.

 

  Let's save the middle difficulty(gold by the ladder) for last. On the 

top you need to tiptoe carefully; enter one cave, run out when solid 

ground appears beneath it, and run right, and repeat. The bombs and the 

disappearing floors aren't synchronized perfectly, but you need to be 

prepared to make a big run early on. Your first one should be two 

squares right. The next, the last safe haven from bombs(hiding doesn't 

help you,) is one square right, and then you will want to wait for 

floors appearing just after a big explosion. You can run six squares 

right and sneak in again. Then there will eventually be an unlit bomb 

below you and one to each side. After they explode, you'll need to move 

right once more. From there, you have one more long run before you're 

safe--should be three squares. But although you're safe from death you 

can still slip. Often you have to move one square right at a time. Only 

move two right if you know the second tile won't disappear soon. Near 

the end you can also run two right. If you make it all the way, you can 

get the gold. You can then drop left once the ground left vanishes, or 

you can drop right just after the bomb explodes. Either way you can't be 

totally lazy about timing.

 

  The final obstacle is on the next ladder left. There's a long run 

right to make under some bombs, and the best time to start is after a 

bunch have exploded. Often two bombs will appear four squares apart, and 

you can stand between them for the explosion before running right and 

dropping off. Now that you've got all the gold, drop left through the 

trap door and right into the door.

 

  There's no need to use the teleport in the UL, and in fact kicking 

yourself back to the start may be lethal.

 

    LEVEL #163: HIDE AND SEEK

 

                  u      e

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  This one is incredibly tough if you don't mark off where the gold is--

and then there's some hidden gold not taken out by the original bombs.  

So there's a lot to map in any case, and you'll need several iterations 

through this level. The skill and analysis needed here are considerable, 

and there may be a nasty surprise at the end, too.

 

  You may need to check your work as it's easy to miss gold, and you'll 

want to count twenty-one hidden gold pieces to get through the level.

 

  Now if you are very quick you can fall left, get the drill, drop down, 

and go down two stairs--fall left for one gold and go right for the 

second. When the bombs heal, retreat to the corner and dig right. If not 

you should get the drill first thing anyway, and you can bomb there 

later when the bad guys are dispatched.

 

  The question now is how best to deal with them? One should be on the 

far right, where you'll need to go eventually. The other will still be 

chasing you around. You can try to dig him out of the way, although you 

can get on pretty well with your tasks without worrying too much about 

him. You can also use the drill to get rid of him later.

 

  First, though, the left side. You'll want to drill the two squares 

just to the right of the bomb, which itself is useless, as well as the 

square to the left of it. You can loop and fall right after this. 

There's also the matter of clearing the four solid squares left of the 

ladder. The bad guy will trap you when you try to come out down below if 

you're not careful, but there are actually several ways to get past him.

 

1. You can 3->2->1 dig and go down/up the stairs and drop right and just 

make it in time.

2. If you forgot your drill(which ruins the point of the maneuver) or 

there are two bad guys running after you, then get the bomb at the 

bottom twice. Place it left of the ladder, go up the ladder, and place 

it in the blown-up nook. The bad guy will try to run across.

3. With the drill and one guy to face, drill the right square, dig 

right, and fall right and dig quickly.

 

  The second time around you can just drill the second of the solid 

bottom squares, then dig the three squares below for a hidden gold.

 

  The third time around it's a lot safer. Dig left/down twice from the 

ladder at the bottom to find another hidden gold. Then go around--each 

time you go around you can dabble with leaving bombs behind(thank 

goodness for infinite ones) to try to blow the bad guy up.

 

  After drilling the fourth of the top left holes, you'll want to 4-<3-

>2-<3-<2 dig to get another gold chest.

 

  If you haven't gotten the gold on either side of the long bottom 

ladder, do so now. Then the gold below the bomb is next. Be sure you've 

drilled L of it and the two DR of it, and then place a bomb on the 

fourth-highest(space to the DR but not the R) stair rung. U/R quickly 

and then dig left after you fall. You'll fall onto the gold. This is 

important because of where the door appears--it's possible to drill your 

way away from the door.

 

  Now for the other side. I assume you've relegated the bad guys to the 

far left by now. Have a few bombs hand here.

 

  There's a row of four solid blocks right of the bottom ladder and far 

above it. You'll want to drill the three rightmost on the bottom and all 

four on the top. From the bottom ladder, R, drill(if necessary,) U, L, 

U, L, drill. Now you can focus on the gold here. The reason you don't 

drill all at the bottom is that bad guys will have more trouble finding 

you this way.

 

  Drill left three from the middle of the ladders you're on for one 

hidden gold, and from the top of that ladder do the following 

drill/digs: drill right and dig below it until you find gold. Go up to 

the left, dig right and drill, then dig the two below them for more 

gold.

 

  On the top of the ladder structure, below where you drilled four 

times, dig the four squares to the left for another hidden gold, then go 

to the ladder just right. Drill one left and dig below that. Now for the 

tough part--the right corner.

 

  2->1 drill at the edge to get to the very bottom right(you can 2-<1 

dig for the hidden gold if you time the run forward/back well but the 

given path is less risky.) Then 9-4-9 and leave a bomb as you run 

across. Run halfway up the stairs so that anyone regenerating in the UR 

will miss you for sure.

 

  From the ladder dig 2 left down twice, then dig left under the gold 

piece to get back. You can now 2-<1 dig at the edge for the hidden gold 

piece and cycle back.

 

  You'll want to dig the five squares right of the top ladder now, and 

with both bad guys scared off, you can just dig twice right down past 

one early gold piece, and when you drop off the ladder, dig the two 

squares right of the one DL of it for the final hidden gold.

 

  Back over the top to the left for the final gold. When you fall down 

the center you should be able to 7-6-7 and run across the two bad guys. 

Note where the door is positioned; simply drilling everything to get the 

one gold below the bomb would have made the door inaccessible.

 

    LEVEL #164: DEATH TRAP 2

 

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      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  This is a good reprise to level 157, and like 157 it's hard as heck. 

Dig the leftmost and drop in. Then dig the two lefmost and drop, then 

the three leftmost(after you get the bombs) and drop. You can now dig 

two holes to catch the bad guys. This will trap them, and one may 

regenerate on the left. If he does you need to be careful and follow the 

procedure below.

 

  Drop from the ladder. Dig right. Now you can drop and dig two squares. 

Get the bombs, dig three squares, and drop. Now dig four squares and 

drop in. Here you need to beware of a bizarre bug. Dig right from the 

far left and the bad guy walks over the hole and gets you! So move right 

a bit. Then IMMEDIATELY go up the ladder and off to the left a square. 

The point is to get there before the bad guy regenerates; otherwise 

he'll have you trapped if he appears on the left. If he appears on the 

right, just go back down. But if he's on the left, fall left and try 

again.

 

  Now you've got a big run coming up. Stay at the bottom of the ladder, 

and after the top two squares appear, wait for the next round to pop up. 

Then run up and right(you may need to pause a split second.) Leave bombs 

above the ladder and just to the right and fall right. This should cause 

a bunch of bad guys to get caught. One should cough up the gold. You can 

even dig left to goad everyone as far over as possible. At least two 

should regenerate on the left. This makes the rest of your task much 

easier.

 

  You'll want to drop and dig toward the center as before--disposing of 

two guys means you'll have to run a bit further left--beware of the bug 

with the guy running over the pit and you should be ok. Don't worry 

about getting rid of everybody as the door should have appeared by 

now(if not, proceed as you did to purge the left of monks.) You can just 

place a bomb one rung up on the ladder, allowing easy access to the 

door. There doesn't seem to be any easy way to jump down from the top, 

and digging down is too tedious, so why not use those bombs?

 

    LEVEL #165: FIND THE PATTERN

 

 2

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  There are actually several patterns. I haven't synchronized each level 

with the one below it, but there's no real need to.

 

  Unfortunately the bad guy pops up randomly in this level, and often 

he'll interfere with what you're trying to do, pushing you back down or 

even trapping you. The only way to change this at the start is to dig to 

the left and run right.

 

  The lower level is pretty straightforward if not terribly easy. You'll 

have to run a bit right, wait, etc. You'll always be on a four-square 

platform at any one time.

 

  On the second level, each pair of blocks disappears quickly so you 

will have to tap right a few times in a row(three for me--you want to 

get to the left edge of your island,) wait, and do it again once the 

right side disappears.

 

  On the third level, you can't quite make it onto the next island after 

you clear the second. Wait and dig left if the bad guy is chasing. When 

the island appears again, you should be able to run on to the single 

square that pops up. From there go right when a plank appears, and you 

just repeat as before to get to the other side.

 

  The top part is by far the worst. Push F7 and then F5 several times to 

start things off. This allows you to see exactly when blocks decay, and 

this is important. You'll have to perform several tricks at a time and 

there's no assurance the bad guy won't drop in on you. Step onto the 2-

island and move left when the blocks shift. You'll be on a 1-island and 

you need to move Jake so he has one foot in thin air. Then watch for 

when the block starts to dissolve and move left. Now repeat. You have to 

get a feel for all this but six times in a row and you're through. It's 

frustrating at first but slowing the game down saves a lot of time in 

the long run.

 

  The gold's on the left, and you can use the traps to fall right 

through to the door to level 166.

 

  But wait! There's a funny skit first.

 

    LEVEL #166: MONK RAIN

 

t                          t

 

 

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XX HeH HeH HeH HeH HeH H XX

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                          XX

 

Y  3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

XX H HeH HeH HeH HeH H H XXX

 X                       X

 X T T T T T T T T T T T X

 XPXPXPXPXPXPXPXPXPXPXPXPX

 

  Five hundred levels too early for a stupid random nightmare like this. 

The basic trick is to run right across the monks as they reappear 

randomly and fall, making it to the next gold piece. Then at the far 

right, you get the yellow key, dig, and proceed back left. In this level 

you are allegedly introduced to pools although they were there in the 

darkness level(155) but easily mistakeable for regular ground due to the 

nasty lighting. Basically, fall in a pool and you die. Also, the 

teleportals kick you back to the start of your run. If you've made it to 

the right then you'll get bumped back to the upper right. But you 

shouldn't need to go down for any reason. Just stay at the top of the 

ladder.

 

  The contrast between the long wait and the quick movement can be 

rather annoying. No matter what speed you play at, you will seem to have 

either slow waiting times and relative security or no waiting times and 

huge risks, but fortunately there's a way to bridge this. Use the F-keys 

intensively. Hit F6 a bunch of times until the monk appears just to your 

right/left. Then hit F7 to slow everything down. It's easier to run 

across now. There are no other real tricks to the level. Sometimes 

you'll seem to have to wait forever for a monk to drop right, and the 

sound is annoying, but once you get a few rungs across the rest 

shouldn't be bad.

 

    LEVEL #167: SEFL SON

 

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  The start isn't exactly trivial. Stay for a while and wait for the bad 

guy to fall in, get out and go left. Then drop right through the trap. 

Get the gold and then go down a rung so the bad guy turns left. Go to 

the bottom so he comes right. Now there's some timing involved in 

getting to the bottom. Make sure there's no bomb lit or about to be when 

you drop left and wait to get past the walls--similar checks apply as 

you run back right. But then you can fall right and left and, watching 

for the appearing walls, blow up the wall in your way to the right 

beyond them. A mazy run gets you to the top. Avoid the repeating bomb 

and take out the right wall in the top. Fall through and shuffle around 

for the gold before dropping off the UR. Zigzag drops lead you to a 4-

point gold and a trap door below it. That's no problem. Run for the gun 

and wait--the bad guys will drop in the pool to try to find you!

 

  At the far left you climb up and go right. Two blasts of the gun 

should help you past; don't use bombs, although combo digging/gunning 

seems safe too. The bad guys will regenerate in front of you, and you'll 

still need two bombs to get back up. Take the 3-ladder up and dig right 

at the UR edge. Climb up the zigzags and then watch for the flashing 

blocks above the solitary ladder. You can pretty much run left and drop 

down. On the way back you'll run into a wall in the left in a cavern--

you bombed it before, now bomb it on the way back. Watch for the closing 

squares and keep climbing up. The final perpetual bomb may require you 

to wait a few cycles, but past it place a bomb 2L of the door and move 

away. You can then walk in.

 

  Making it back is rather arduous as well. The bad guys aren't a 

factor, but 

 

    LEVEL #168: SEFL'S WAY

 

&XHXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~

 XHX  .u X2X      e  XHPPPP

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  Seems rather similar to the previous one, and in fact once you get by 

the original obstacle it's actually a good deal simpler. Until the 

rather nasty end.

 

  Go left for the bomb and down. The bad guy will fall in. Go a bit up 

and then back down once he goes off to the right. Then angle up and 

right--fall through the trap and get the gold. Play the up/down game to 

trap the bad guy again, and repeat as often as necessary until the 

central square has just regenerated when the bad guy died--they all 

regenerate in the UL, which is troublesome for you at the start and the 

end. Then drop into the pit. You should be able to slip down and off to 

the left, but fortunately the starting timing is the trickiest part of 

the level.

 

  The middle is pretty flabby--head left for one gold, wait for the 

bombs to explode and head right. Fall. Dig right twice to get by the bad 

guys--you'll have to kill one(regenerating him in the UL) but don't dig 

more than twice. The winding path will lead to the UL and eventually to 

a rope where you fall left, right, and left for three gold. Then fall 

right twice and dig over the gold. The bad guy should have taken it by 

now, so you can try to sucker him left a way to get him away from 

treasure(if he leaves it behind,) then run right to get it. If he just 

coughs it up that's OK but you want to try to get the gold without 

killing him.

 

  After getting the gold dig to get by him if necessary. Then L/U/R and 

stay away from the wall if a bomb has started. Running to the right edge 

is no problem and the trap door at the edge assures you you won't get 

pinned by the walls and bomb you just passed.

 

  Circle around again. Take the stair with the two gold pieces around 

it. The all-clear ladder will pop up in the UL. Use the bomb near the 

top after you get the gun. Now you can walk right to the next ladder. 

Release a bomb left of the base of the two-ladder to the right. 2D/R and 

then climb back up--one bad guy will fall in, and(if you need to--he may 

still be reappearing) you should be able to gas the other one although 

sometimes he's refused to play fair even though I gassed him clearly(in 

that case if it happens more than once, retreat and try again.) This 

should leave the path clear.

 

    LEVEL #169: SEFL'S LAIR

 

    1 ?   X   2 XXXXXXXXXXt

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HXX   XXXXXXXX  XHXXX  TX

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  Get the gold, wait, and dig left twice. Then run across and dig behind 

if you're nervous about crossing the rotating solid-square planks ahead. 

I'd prefer to keep one guy alive as they'll regenerate in the next 

corridor for you to tackle, and if both are there you'd have to dig down 

left from the ladder, back up and dig left twice.

 

  As it is you can just fall and dig left and go around, digging once 

behind. Drop when the square below your fall to the right appears and 

run right. When the square above disappears, zigzag more. Then go to 

near the top and drop left again. Dig left and now you can steam up the 

left side(don't forget the skull) and note the potential appearing solid 

square to block you. Dig left if you're bored waiting and run right. 

Also be wary of the possible pit ahead filling in. You've seen the type 

before. Then up the ladder to the right and fall down. Dig right in the 

2-chamber below. Get the skull and run right when it's safe. Two more 

gold; now get the drill. From the top ladder, dig the right square on 

the platform, drop right, and dig left. Drop onto the ladder and dig 

down/right three times. When just left of the drill, wait for the 

platform below to show, get the drill, and back up.

 

  Now you can enter the transporter. Drop right and drill down. At the 

bottom of the ladder, step one left when there's solid ground. After 

falling, right and left to the ladder. Drill down. Go down for the skull 

and dig a hole to gett past the bad guy barging at you. Then go back up 

and get the final 4-pointer. Maybe you'll have to dig once more to get 

by, but I think you can handle _that_.

 

    LEVEL #170: WATERWIND

 

XXXXXXXG   ~~~     XXXXX  2

      XXXXX   XXXXHX   X XXH

HXXXX X   XPPPX2  HX XHg X H

H   X XHX X   XHXXXX XXXXXHX

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  And this is the third time using that small compartment as something 

to run around in. They really are overdoing it. Wait a second, then drop 

right for the bomb. 4-9-6-6-8 and when the bad guy goes left, come back 

down. He may appear in the UL pit, which we'll deal with later if we 

need to. You'll want to place the bomb at the top of the ladder and get 

out of the way. Then it's easy access to the pickaxe, which you'll need 

after R-U-L-fall as it's the only way you'll get across those seven pool 

squares--cause a cave-in one square at a time.

 

  Go up the ladder, dig down twice, get the next guy with one dig. Come 

around UR and drop right and dig another hole. Get the bomb and leave 

another hole right if the bad guys are close. Place the bomb right of 

the wall blocking your way to the gold. Then enter and zigzag. Now there 

should be 0/1 bad guys in the pit below. With zero, use the pickaxe, 

otherwise just jump over. If there are two, you may need to restart the 

level.

 

  Drop into the chamber with the bomb and set it off to the right. 

There'll be a big chain reaction--watch out for the tail where one bomb 

in the wall is still lit. Then go to the UR, get the gold, and drop left 

for the key. U/L(drop) and then R for the bomb and fall through the trap 

door. Then go back left of the key. Bomb the wall to the left and go 3 

right--but be careful not to fall through the trap door as you have no 

bombs left. Then run left and up the two stairs and the green door's to 

the left.

 

    LEVEL #171: ESCAPE

 

                     .

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  This has the nuisance of catching you randomly if you don't do 

something right away--so it seems arbitrary but it's really just a bit 

exacting.

 

  First thing to do is to run over the bad guy when he drops through the 

alternating hole(you can wait, but he will die and may regenerate on 

top.) Look for when he falls--there's leeway if you do it early. Get the 

drill and drop down. Then go to the right and get the bomb. Wait for the 

holes left to fill up and get the skull.

 

  Now one right of the other skull, dig down. Push right and when you're 

finally allowed to, dig left and keep holding 7 so you dig again. Move 

left and dig two squares right. Then dig right after the drop to get to 

the rope.

 

  First thing on the right side is to get the two gold pieces. Then go 

down the stairs, dig two right, and drill below. Go right and down. You 

may have to come back twice to trap anyone; in any case when one guy 

regenerates, go one up on the ladder to make sure the bad guy coming 

from the UR gets trapped--usually in the 3-wide pit. The second time 

through you can dig from the right and actually dig below that to trap 

your enemy. Get any gold--you don't need the bomb, but why not?

 

  Now assuming all guys are trapped go and trade the drill for the bomb. 

Go back to the left of the bottom stairs. At the top rung, place the 

bomb; there's hidden gold to the right. Down, right(push and hold 6 just 

after 2) and up. Get the drill and use it on top of the remaining 

treasure. 2-<1 dig and the ladder to the left leads you up--in the rare 

case a bad guy is waiting for you in the stair area, don't do the third 

dig until he falls down to go after you.

 

    LEVEL #172: CAN YOU FIND A SHORTCUT?

 

 

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  Compared to the compact rigor of 171, this level is nothing. All you 

have to do is drop twice--just wait--to get to the bottom. Then start 

running right. The bad guys will try to catch up to you, fall in the 

pits or be teleported, and wind up in the UR. Then you can make it to 

the ladder and drop down. From there it's a free ride left.

 

    LEVEL #173: WATERWORLD

 

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  This is not a tough level at all once you get past the beginning. You 

want to run to the middle of the structure that vanishes and reappears--

might have to pause to get on there. Then wait and after you fall, pull 

to the right. On the stairs, go U, R, U, R on rope, fall R, U, L-fall, 

R, L-fall, L and now wait for the bad guys to go through the trap doors. 

They're usually in sync but if not you can dig a hole right of the rope 

to nail one. The object is to get to the rope and drop and head left 

into the door and there really should be enough time for that even 

without digging.

 

  You'll note there are two gold pieces in this level, but you only get 

one. That is because the bad guys eventually start regenerating in the 

UL and will soon pick the chest up and fall in the goo. This is the only 

part where the bombs might be useful--if the bad guys refuse to pick up 

the chest you may have to go off to the left of the rope, drop a bomb, 

back up and go in again.

 

    LEVEL #174: MONKS FROM MUNCHAUSEN

 

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  About as squiggly as a linear(in the puzzle term) challenge can get at 

such a low resolution. Patience is the main thing to test here.

 

  Either get a flying start left or don't go anywhere at all until the 

next cycle. From there you go L/U/R and use the bomb on the right part. 

Bad guys generally appear in the pit in the UL so blowing the first one 

away is OK; however, if you knock out two then they will both appear in 

the UL and block you. Fortunately the next part is pretty linear and 

monk-free although you have a timed bomb to contend with(patience...) 

near the right and a switching door near there. I advise going U2R of 

the perpetual bomb and just waiting a bit. From there L/U/L to fall 

through. Fall left and then after bombing to get the pickaxe(base of the 

stairs) you can go up the stairs and around some more. Try to get by 

with as few digs as possible. Eventually you'll wind around to near the 

pit--place a bomb one left of under there(run up the stairs) if bad guys 

persist in hanging around. If a bad guy's to the left then dig down left 

twice, fall left and dig.

 

  Run across the pit(if no-one's in there, use the pickaxe) and up to 

the top. There's gold to the left and after you fall right you'll need 

the pickaxe. Then further along, you can dig the enemy to the right into 

oblivion as you wait for good timing to pass the perpetual bomb embedded 

in the sometimes walls. Fall left for the final gold. Dig left at the 

stairs to fall next to the transport door.

 

    LEVEL #175: FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

 

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