Boulder Dash II: Rockford’s Revenge on Atari 5200 – Unlicensed Port and Game Overview

Boulder Dash II: Rockford’s Revenge for the Atari 5200 is an unlicensed adaptation of the second entry in the well-known Boulder Dash series originally created by Peter Liepa.

While the Atari 5200 never received an official release of the sequel, a user-applied ROM hack of the 1985 Databyte Atari 8-bit computer cartridge made it possible for the game to run on the console. This version was later packaged with a box and manual and offered for sale in 2005 by Mean Hamster Software through the former Atari2600.com website.

Gameplay in Rockford’s Revenge remains consistent with the mechanics established in the first Boulder Dash installment. Players guide Rockford through maze-like caverns, mining diamonds while avoiding hazards such as falling boulders, unstable terrain and a variety of cave creatures. The core challenge revolves around understanding how environmental elements interact, planning safe routes and managing the physics-based movement of rocks and dirt.

As in the original game, difficulty escalates steadily in later caves. New puzzle components, more complex layouts and tighter time limits require players to anticipate chain reactions and execute careful navigation. Despite being a port of an earlier computer release, the Atari 5200 version maintains the strategic pacing and puzzle-based design that defined Boulder Dash II.

This unlicensed adaptation serves as a notable chapter in Atari 5200 preservation and homebrew history, bringing a classic 1980s action-puzzle experience to a system that never officially received it.

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