In 1982, Namco worked with the folks at Atari to release a new flagship arcade game, something a little different to attract the folks that had played Galaga and Pac-Man for so long. That game was a strategic little arcade title called Dig-Dug. In the game, you control a little worker dude who burrows his way through underground terrain, picking up little vegetable items and being able to drop rocks by digging underneath them. Then he runs across two types of enemies who get in his way- Pooka, a round creature wearing goggles, and Fygar, a fire-breathing menace. But instead of using a gun to dispatch of them, the digger instead uses an air pump. He inflates his enemies and makes them pop to dispatch of them- a very clever play mechanic at the time.

Now, like those two aforementioned arcade classics, Dig-Dug has tunneled his way onto the Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360. Those looking for something new to the game like they got with the Dig-Dug Arrangement game on the Namco Museum compilation will probably be mildly disappointed with what's here. All you get is the arcade game and very little more. Fortunately, the arcade game is still fun after all these years.

That's because the gameplay is so incredibly simple and yet so addictive. You'll spend hours on end trying to advance past stage fifteen and up, scampering away from Pookas and Fygars that grow in numbers or gain a speedy ability. Fygars are also known for blowing fire, which can cause complete havoc for Dig-Dug if he manages to touch the flame even in the slightest. Along with the pump weapon, you can also lure these creatures under rocks and smash them flat with them. It's a fun little strategy, and the more you get under a rock, the higher your score.

The graphics are simple and colorful, with little animations on the characters and not much variance in the stages. Still, the whole screen is captured here, with little arcade decals on the side to make you feel like you're standing in front of an old coin-op unit. The sound is made up of slightly annoying music that plays whenever you walk, followed by even more annoying siren sounds if you just stand still. It's perfect to the arcade code, so I won't knock it too much.

The game does offer a couple of nifty extras. First are the unlockable Achievements, in which there are twelve to help boost your Gamerscore. Unfortunately, most of these Achievements can be unlocked within the first hour, so that takes some of the challenge away. There's also an Xbox Live-supported leaderboard, although it can be a bit wonky at times in terms of accuracy. I had a 52nd high score at one point, only to be knocked down to 367th. In like ten minutes. Still, it's nice to see Namco give a little something extra.

For 400 points, you could do far worse than Dig-Dug. Yeah, it follows arcade basics and doesn't really dig into new territory like Digging Strike did for the DS. But by keeping its simplicity, it also keeps most of its fun. It's worth dropping five bucks on a classic, especially if it still entertains and charms. This game will pump you up. (Hoo boy. Even I gotta groan at that one.)