Back to the Emerald Mines!

Boulder Crash is a Flash remake by Mirko Ruto of the classic arcade puzzle game Boulder Dash.

Use the arrow keys to move, space for action and ESC to abort or pause.

Have fun!

Acno’s Energizer is a puzzle game developed four years ago by Uselab, a Dutch web agency based in Amsterdam.

The game is a Boulder Dash variation: your goal here is to move the little hero, Acno, through 35 different levels and get the red balls into the energizer (or exit) to charge it. When the energizer is charged, Acno can jump into it and use it as a teleporter to go to the next level.

Use the arrow keys to move Acno. Sometimes, it is helpful to remove some green dirt without moving Acno. To do so, press the space bar and the proper arrow key to remove the dirt next to him.

There are a lot of enemies in the game: Acno can kill them by throwing rocks at them. Killing enemies create explosions that can be very useful to create an entrance in a brick wall, for example. Hazardous waste containers explode too when they hit the ground, so be careful!

The first levels are very simple to complete and were designed to let the player get used to the controls. Around level 8, things get a bit more difficult. Solving levels needs to perform different tasks in a specific order and you will often need to use the auto-destruction button to restart the level.

To add some spice to the game, the authors implemented a 60 seconds timer; and one minute is not that long to figure out what to do to reach the energizer and then doing it properly!

For gamers who are patient enough, things get a lot worse around level 25 and after. Luckily, level codes are implemented to save your progress, and you won’t have to play the same level more than once to complete the game.

Graphics, animation and sounds are pleasant, even if it would have been nice to have an option to turn sounds off when needed.

Overall, Acno’s Energizer is a very nice and quite addictive puzzler, perfect to fill a long gloomy afternoon. Have fun!

XGen Studios has released Motherload in September 2004. This Flash game is reminiscent of the Golden Age arcade games genre started in 1982 by Dig Dug and followed by Boulder Dash two years later.

The object of the game is to use a mining machine given to you by your new employer, Mr. Natas, and start digging the dangerous planet of Mars, looking for the Motherload, a fable cache of rare and valuable minerals. Your first job is to collect minerals and bring them to the surface for selling. The deeper your dig, the more valuable the minerals you’ll encounter.

Control your pod with the arrow keys. Your drill will deploy automatically if you move into minerals beside or below your pod; it’s not possible to drill straight up.

You will find on the surface of Mars everything you need to manage and upgrade your mining pod: a fuel station, a shop to sell your minerals, a junk shop to upgrade your pod, an emendation station to buy special items and repair your pod. There is also a very useful save game station (you will have to create your account if you play Motherload on Xgen Sudios website).

If graphics could have been better and if the music can get a bit annoying after a while (you can control both music and sounds levels in the options), Motherload is highly addictive and gamers can play this game for hours! You’re forewarned!

Have fun!