Mines of Minos

Name:	Mines of Minos
Company:	Commavid
Model #:	CM-005
Programmer:	Dr. Irwin Gaines
Year:	1982
Released?	Yes

Take one part Pac-Man, add one part Rally X, sprinkle with a dash of Thundeground, mix well, bake at 350 for 3 hours, and you'll get Mines of Minos.  Mines of Minos is an interesting maze game by Commavid, a company well know for its innovative and unique games.  One of the best things about MoM is its unique and non-linear gameplay which really adds alot of replay to a relatively simple game.

Something terrible has happened in the mazelike mines of Minos.  Aliens have invaded the mines and are destroying all the robot workers.  It's up to you as the lone robot survivor to journey to the deepest depths of the mine and destroy the alien command center.  Of course the aliens aren't just going to let you saunter about the mine at your leisure (do robots saunter?), they're out to get you, and they're mad!  Thankfully you can build you're own reinforcements by collecting robot parts scattered throughout the mine.  Once you've collected three parts you'll gain an extra life (do robots have lives?)

As a mining robot, your arsenal of weapons is quite limited.  You have no atomic blaster, no laser sword, not even a crappy laser.  No your only weapon is a supply of time bombs, just time bombs.  Thankfully these are no ordinary time bombs, these time bombs have the ability to obliterate aliens on contact (making them more like mines than time bombs).   However the deeper down the mine you go, the more powerful (and ugly) the aliens become.  Before exploring the lower levels of the mine you'll need to power up your bombs first by scoring lots of points.  However take care not to loiter around the levels too long as the mine will begin to flood and slow your robot down, making him easy prey to roving aliens

Once you think you're powerful enough, you can go deeper into the mine by holding the fire button down while moving through the side maze exits.  Each level has a unique maze and even more powerful aliens.  Once you've reached the fifth level of the mine, you must seek out the three alien masterminds that are hiding on the level.  The masterminds may have the power to control all the other aliens, but they're defenseless by themselves.  Simply run into them to destroy them and send their slimy hides back to where they came from.  After destroying all three masterminds, you will start back at the top of the mine at a higher difficulty level

While its graphics won't win any awards, Mines of Minos's gameplay is addictive and solid.  Aside from a few control issues (it's easy to get hung up on the mine walls), Mines of Minos is an excellent addition to the 2600 library.  It's a shame that unique games like this got lost in the sea of 'me too' games that flooded the 2600 market.

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