dung beetle

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from other articles related to it. (May 2008)

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Screenshot of the Color Computer version of the game, Mega-Bug.

Dung Beetles is an Apple II computer game released in 1982 by Datasoft. It was ported to the TRS-80 Color Computer, where it was distributed by Tandy. On the Color Computer, it was renamed Mega-Bug; however, some copies were sold as Dung Beetles. Later versions for both the Apple II and Atari were named Tumble Bugs. In Australia, the game was re-branded Bug Attack.

The game concept and gameplay are based on Pac-Man, but features a much larger maze and a moving "magnifying rectangle" which makes it easier to see graphic detail of the main character and the opponents, but also obscures a small area of the map near the main character, making short- to medium-range navigation more difficult. In addition, whenever the main character eats a dot, it leaves a piece of dung. When a dung beetle finds this dung, it eats it and follows the trail.

Whenever the player was caught, the game plays a digitized voice saying, "We Gotcha!" This is the only use of voice in the game, and was a novelty, as the Apple II speaker is only able to emit a click. Programmers clicked the speaker rapidly to produce any sound — the typical Apple II game made only monotone beeps and clicks. Programming the game to play back an audio sample, using only a clicking speaker, was an interesting technical accomplishment, shared with another 1982 Apple II game, Sea Dragon.

External links

• Mega-Bug from NitrOS9.LCURTISBOYLE.COM

This video game article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.