Global Leaderboards are one of the building blocks of Antstream Arcade. With these high score
tables, gamers can track their progress with fellow players across the world in an international
competition of retro glory. Many classic videogames have a reputation for being brutally hard or
frustrating to play, but that doesn’t stop some of our superstar gamers reaching for the top of the
Antstream Arcade high score tables. To get on the podium takes dedication, skill and more than a
little gaming wisdom – so here are six more of the most challenging games we offer, and some
valuable hints on how to achieve success from the very people that sit proudly at the summit of each game’s respective global leaderboard.
Smash TV – Arcade
Global Leaderboard Leader: AmigaSquare
“To maximise your score on Smash TV you’ll need to grab as many prize items as possible. Go out of your way to get the gift-wrapped boxes; they’ll give you lots of points during the end-of-level bonus countdown. Gather them as quickly as possible as this often forces further cash piles to appear within the current room. Also, before taking on the final boss, you’ll want to gain access to the Pleasure Dome – a special room packed with points-giving goodies. To get in, you must collect ten keys throughout the course of the game; however, these mostly spawn at random. To be certain of getting all the keys you require, check the map at the start of level three and make sure to enter the room marked with a dollar symbol at the top right of the arena. A huge number of keys will appear moments after you walk inside.”
Solomon’s Key – Arcade
Global Leaderboard Leader: Mpk
“There are two parallel ways to progress in Solomon’s Key. Firstly, solve the levels. As you get further in, the paths to grab the key and find the exit become more complicated and harder to execute. The points for clearing levels and collecting the gems are fine, but for a real high score you'll need to find the secrets. Behind some of the blocks that you can create and destroy are secrets, some with high values. On level three, for example, blow up the gargoyle with a fireball and climb up to place a block against the ceiling, directly above where you start. Destroy that block again, and a secret fairy bell is revealed. Secrets in regular levels carry the higher values, but they get harder to find and reach as you go along. Some of the 100k+ secrets are only present the first time – if you lose a life, the secret will not be present on your second attempt.”
Fast Food Dizzy – Commodore Amiga
Global Leaderboard Leader: NAG_Graham
“The majority of your points are naturally gained from eating the food in the mazes, but you can top up your score by collecting the shield, enabling you to eat the enemies for a short period of time. Additionally, you'll come across ketchup bottles that clear the bad guys from the screen for a short time – pick all of these up where you can, they appear regularly. On later levels it's important you take advantage of the blocks the enemies can't walk over, such as the turnstiles in the mall and transparent blocks on the toy levels. You can take refuge or use them as shortcuts to other parts of the maze.”
Dig Dug – Arcade
Global Leaderboard Leader: Negative1
“Much like Pac-Man, Dig Dug has its patterns. The first eleven boards do not repeat. You can
maximize points on those. Levels 12-15 repeat in groups of four and at level 32 they speed up. Head towards a rock quickly, set up a trap below, and crush as many enemies as possible. Always drop at least two rocks per level to get the fruit. Once you get to level 18, the pineapple will give you 8000 points. Play conservatively; you only get five lives with the settings, one extra at 20k, and another at 60k. These are the hard default Japanese settings.”
Uridium – Commodore 64
Global Leaderboard Leader: Charliefar
“The key in Uridium is to learn each dreadnaught layout, essential for evading mines and enemies,
and later dreadnaughts require you to turn your manta sideways to navigate narrow gaps. There's a warning noise which signals incoming enemy waves – use this warning to perform U-turns as the
Manta is invincible during this manoeuvre. Homing mines will only appear when the generators are on-screen, so try to keep them off-screen where possible. But your number one priority is getting to the landing zone. Once there, find a safe spot away from mine generators while waiting for the LAND NOW signal. Don’t forget the end-of-level mini-game will kill you if the countdown runs out and you can destroy surface objects on exploding dreadnaughts for points. Finally, don't go too fast!”
Double Dragon – Arcade
Global Leaderboard Leader: Comboace
“Enemies tend to try to attack you from behind. Utilize the elbow attack (punch + jump) to defend
yourself. This is your most powerful attack, and it attacks from behind. Otherwise, the timer for
Double Dragon is very generous, so take your time progressing throughout the game. When multiple enemies are on the screen, only two will attack you, and one will always try to go behind you, so watch out. The weapons are useful, but if you miss, you will be briefly vulnerable to attack, so use them with care. And don’t forget enemies will only die when knocked down. Same for you too!”