Casio MG-885

A more challenging game, but not nearly as popular, the MG-885 (officially named GAME II) was released just over a year after the MG-880 and while it was a good seller, it didn’t have the instant appeal for the beginner of its predecessor.

The basic premise is easy enough, a digit moves across the screen from left to right before changing direction. It is an ‘8’ but is missing either its top, middle or bottom segment. The player hits the corresponding key on the keypad to complete the 8.

To make it more difficult there are also 8 dots on the screen and the player must complete the 8 when it is position over one of the dots. If successful, the dot disappears and the player tries to make an 8 on another dot.

There is also a mystery in this game, if consecutive dots add up to 10 an ‘H’ appears and can be destroyed wth either of the three keys as long as it is on a dot.

So after a few games, stage 1 can be completed fairly easily. Stages two and three are faster but still possible, then things get difficult.

The 8 changes which segment is missing as it moves across the screen in Stage 4 – if you get to grips with this, soon your missile will change its projectory heading towards the 8 too.

Obviously far more difficult to program, and intensely more challenging than the MG-880, but doesn’t get played nearly as often.

Casio also produced this game in a slim credit-card-sized version, the MG-775 which is likewise quite a rarity these days. Unlike the Digital Invader game though, this was never produced in a watch version – perhaps the combination of having to use three different keys may have been too difficult for the larger-fingered watch wearer!