Oil’s Well

Oil's Well

Overview & History

Released in 1984 by Sierra On-Line and ported to the ColecoVision by Coleco, Oil's Well is an ingenious arcade-style variant of the classic *Snake* formula, heavily inspired by Sega's *Panic Button*. Dropping players into the dusty boots of an ambitious wildcatter, the game tasks you with extracting liquid gold from subterranean strata while dodging an army of aggressive underground critters. Unlike many standard console conversions of the era, the ColecoVision port captures the colorful, high-stakes charm of the arcade original, complete with catchy ragtime musical loops and crisp sprite scaling that made navigating the twisting labyrinthine tunnels both thrilling and visually distinct.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core mechanic revolves around piloting a single, infinitely extendable drill pipe originating from a surface valve on the top left of the screen. As you snake your drill head through the dirt to slurp up glowing oil dots, you must constantly manage your pipe's length and avoid running into your own metallic tail. Navigating the dirt grid requires precision, as tunneling removes the earth behind you, creating temporary caverns where subterranean nasties—ranging from slithering worms to snapping jaws—patrol relentlessly. To survive, you possess a limited-use "Zap" bomb that clears the immediate vicinity of enemies, clearing a vital escape route back to the surface before your drill shatters.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move the drill head in four directions through the dirt
• Action Keys: Detonate the emergency surface-clearing bomb
• Enter: Start / Pause