If you were one of the few people out there who missed the original, don’t fret! I am in fact one of you! I Dig It Expeditions does a brilliant job of making playing the first game completely unnecessary to enjoy the sequel.

I was initially very ambivalent when assigned the review for this app. Personally I never really enjoyed “Dig Dug” or similar games and assumed this to be a simple clone for the iPhone. Honestly, if I want to spend my free time digging damn holes and running out of air, I’ll get a job in a coal mine thank you very much.  But Master Lee INSISTED that I played the game, as he if was doing me a favor by passing the game onto me. He did review the first game, and gave it our prestigious Go!Go! Mob award. 

All it took was a few minutes, and I began to see the wisdom of his ways. I was blown away by the production quality and atmosphere generated on my iPhone.  The music and artistic style struck me first as I Dig It Expeditions truly rocks the Indiana Jones/National Treasure-esque feel of the quintessential adventure flick. I may just be a sucker for classic treasure hunting movies, but I think we all have a side that longs for leaving the mundane to solve some ancient mystery…or at least steal some ancient artifacts.

I won't get into the details of the gameplay, since the game plays exactly like the first one (just read our review for details). The game refines the mechanic that already works so well in the original.  You are tasked again to dig for treasure with your digging machine. Like before, the more cool treasure you find, the more money you can earn to upgrade your machine, from the drill tip, to greater fuel capacity, to more cargo space. There's always a need to balance what to upgrade first, which is part of the challenge. Thanks to fantastic tweaking by the developers, I Dig It Expeditions manages to be suspenseful without being stressful.

I Dig It Expeditions excels in almost every aspect over the original, and adds tons of new features and content. There are now three new locations to explore, as well as several game modes including free play, challenge, and story mode. This time around, the new levels have their own theme and distinct features. For example, an underwater stage has you now managing your oxygen supply as opposed to being concerned about overheating. I definitely appreciated the multiple levels, as each satisfies a different craving for adventure, from unearthing Aztec ruins to exploring the Indian Ocean. These new areas give the game variety and manage to make even continuous digging anything but repetitive or gimmicky.

Thanks to player feedback, other features have been added to help you on your quest to uncover buried treasures. A nifty inventory system allows you to purchase a collection of expendable, one time use items such as explosives or temporary radar boosters. These items take up cargo room however and tend to be quite specialized for certain situations, making what you purchase and carry with you subject to careful planning. Furthermore, a great mapping system has finally been added to help the player keep track of the crazed labyrinth of tunnels they’ve made. The map will also show the driller's location and allows you to leave markers to remember points of interest. 

Overall, I Dig It Expeditions is just a rock solid (haha bad joke) example of a well rounded, quality game. Beyond the addicting gameplay mechanics, everything from graphics to sound effects simply feel well done. I would definitely recommend I Dig It Expeditions to new comers and previous I Dig It fans alike. Even if this type of game doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, at very least try the demo. This game surpasses many titles on both DS and PSP. And best of all - It's only $2.99 to boot. Who said that the iPhone isn't a real competitive threat to those other handhelds? 

We recently put a few download codes in our swag auctions for I Dig It Expeditions, so get a copy using your $Karma points!

Buy I Dig It Expeditions on iTunes today!