Bagman(arcade) FAQ version 1.1.0
copyright 2002
by Andrew Schultz [email protected]

Please do not reproduce this FAQ for profit without my prior consent.
However, if you write a polite e-mail to me referring to me(and this
FAQ) by name, then I will probably say OK. But if I ignore you that
means no--and I am bad about answering e-mail. Sorry.

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My home page:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/2762

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http://home.earthlink.net/~schultza/java/java.htm

================================

 1. INTRODUCTION AND TERMINOLOGY

 2. THE BASICS

   2-1. CONTROLS

   2-2. SCORING

 3. GAME MAP

   3-1. LEDGER

   3-2. LEVEL 1

   3-3. LEVELS 2+

 4. GENERAL GAMING STUFF

   4-1. POINT SCORING

   4-2. WARDENS

     4-2-1. GENERALITIES

     4-2-2. WHAT SCORE, HOW FAST

     4-2-3. AI

   4-3. PICKAXES AND MONEY BAGS

   4-4. MINE CARTS AND HANDLES

   4-5. ELEVATORS

   4-6. ONE COOL WHEELBARROW

   4-7. OTHER TERRAIN

   4-8. HIGH SCORE LIST(DEFAULT)

   4-9. THE MUSIC(HELP!)

   4-10. STUFF BAGMAN SAYS

 5. SCREEN TRICKS

 6. WALKTHROUGH(AS FAR AS IS REASONABLE)

   6-1. STRAIGHT THROUGH LEVEL 1

   6-2. LEVEL 2 AND BEYOND

   6-2. WHAT IF I LOSE A LIFE?

 7. VERSIONS/CREDITS

================================

 1. INTRODUCTION AND TERMINOLOGY

   I'm not exactly a Bagman expert but thought I'd lay out what I
know...it's helped me pick some stuff up in the past so I thought I'd
try it again. I've managed to get through the first level, and I'm
pleased with myself for that. Hopefully what I can share will help
someone else do the same. Bagman's a tricky game and has many subtleties
that aren't immediately obvious and even some goofy bugs to take
advantage of.

   In Bagman you have two wardens chasing you through a maze covering
three screens(each a 14x16 grid.) There are mine carts which will run
you over, or you can drop into them. There are pickaxes you can use to
nail the wardens, but the main goal is to take money bags(which slow you
down) and bring them to the wheelbarrow on the surface before your bonus
runs out and to repeat ad infinitum. There's a lot of moving and futzing
around, and it may be tough for a casual player to get beyond clearing
the first screen. The elevators are tough to master but there turn out
to be some good general principles mixed with some basic patterns, and
with them you should be able to conquer this tough game.

   If anyone has a way to polish my strategies I'd love to hear them
and give credit where it's due. With a game this demanding I know I am
missing something.

   Warden = guard = bad guy(OK, semantics, you're the bad guy...)

 2. THE BASICS

   2-1. CONTROLS

   Well, the joystick moves the way you expect it to but there are some
nuances if you push it diagonally.

   If you are going up/down and push diagonally, then you will go left
or right at the first opportunity.

  If you are going left/right and push diagonally, then you will go up
or down at the first opportunity.

  If you are pushing diagonally and run into a wall, the game will try
to move you the 'other' direction you're going in.

  Hit action to grab the pick, which stays with you for a limited time
while you are not on a ladder. You can also hit action to drop it, but
in general you can't drop a pick under a handhold or on top of a money
bag.

   Money bags slow you down when you carry them, and they can be
dropped on wardens' heads to get points and time.

   Handholds: push action to get on one, action again to drop from it.
A bit too soon or late when dropping into the cart is lethal so you do
have to learn the proper timing.

   The wheelbarrow doesn't slow you down, even after you've filled it
up with money, and it can be used to conk wardens on the head as they
climb up the stairs. It's a bit tough to let go of, though, especially
by the stairs.

   To access the elevator, just climb in. However, it can kill you if
it lands on you or if you run into it just as it goes up, and it will
pick you up automatically.

   Once in a cart, you can push a valid direction to leave. However if
you leave in the direction the cart's going, it will run you over.

   Pushing up from a mine cart before you get to a ladder assures
you'll waste no time climbing, although the cart in the third scene
doesn't quite reach to the ladder on the far right there. Pushing down
also works(top mine cart) but it's pretty pointless as you'll shortly be
falling down a shaft if you continue that way.

   You can fall off the bottom right ladder on the center screen
without dying.

   2-2. SCORING

   You get ten points for each time you spend walking horizontally--
with ot without the bag. The entire screen(no bag) seems to get you
about three hundred points. You also get points as you walk off the
screen after completing a level.
   You get 100 points for successfully landing in a cart.
   You get the bonus at the top each time you drop a yellow bag into
the wheelbarrow. You die if the bonus runs out. Music starts playing at
400.
   You get double the bonus when you drop the blue bag in.
   You get 500 points for hitting a warden with the pick. Stunning him
any other way gets you the same, but it doesn't show up until he falls
all the way down. You get no points if a warden falls of his own accord
even if you sucker him into it by one of the tricks.

   You get an extra man at 30000 points. You don't seem to get one
after that, though. This seems harsh, but you get an extra man after
completing every level--UNLESS you finished the level by dying with the
final money bag in your hands. I tend to score approximately 60000
points per level.

   Note that if you drop the blue bag by the wheelbarrow, drop a yellow
bag in, and then quickly drop the blue one in, you get more points than
just dropping the blue bag in with the low bonus that results from
heaving it all the way up.

   Scoring also speeds your enemies up. See section 4-2-2 for details
on that.

   There's only one scoring racket, really, besides wandering back and
forth while waiting for the elevator. If you can get the two wardens
together and then get a money bag and drop it on them, you can repeat
this for quite a while. One iteration will take 200 bonus points, and
you gain 1000 points. That's a good payoff; I've scored 10000 points in
one swoop this way, although it entails the risk of dropping the bag at
the right time. Of course the racket works with only one warden but you
have to beware of the other and you don't get quite as many points for
doing so.

 3. GAME MAP

   3.1. LEDGER

W = wheelbarrow
H = ladder
X = wall
/\= slope up/down
$ = money bag
@ = double money bag
+ = pick
v = handhold for cart
| = where elevator goes in shaft
_±= a floor with a thin roof below, with a pick(left ±) or $ above it.

   3.2. LEVEL 1

      W               ___±___ ________ ±
XXXHXXXXXXXHXXXXXHXXX|X       |      $ H X
XXXHXXvXXXXHXXXXXHXvX|X XXHXXX|XXHXXXXXXHX
XXXH    $+ H        $|XHXXHXXX|XXH   $  HX
XXXHXXXXXXX XXXHXXXXX|XH$XHXXX|XXXXXXXXHXX
X XH      X XXXH  $XX|XXXXHXXX|XXXXXXXXHXX
XH$H\\\\\HX XXXXXXXXX|  $  XXX|XXXXXXXXHXX
XHXHXXXXXHX XXXXXXXXX|XXXXXXXX|    HXXXHXX
XHXHXXXXXHX      +   |    $   |XXXXHXXXHXX
XHXH     H$ XXXXXXXHXXXXX XXXX|XXXX_   H X
XH$H/////XX XX   XXH      XXXX|  +$ HXXXHX
XXXH   +    $X  @* HXXXXH vXXX|XvXXHXXXXHX
XXXHXvXXXXXvXXXXXXXHXvXXH__   | $  H $  HX
X  H               H    H $XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
            ^^            ^^
   1st     scrn    2nd   scrn    3rd
   scrn    brk.    scrn  brk.    scrn

   3.3. LEVELS 2+

      W               ___±___ ________ _
XXXHXXXXXXXHXXXXXHXXX|X $     | $      H X
XXXHXXvXXXXHXXXXXHXvX|X XXHXXX|XXHXXXXXXHX
XXXH    $+ H         |XHXXHXXX|XXH   $  HX
XXXHXXXXXXX XXXHXXXXX|XH$XHXXX|XXXXXXXXHXX
X XH      X XXXH  $XX|XXXXHXXX|XXXXXXXXHXX
XH H\\\\\HX XXXXXXXXX|     XXX|XXXXXXXXHXX
XHXHXXXXXHX XXXXXXXXX|XXXXXXXX|    HXXXHXX
XHXHXXXXXHX $    +   |    $  $|XXXXHXXXHXX
XHXH     H$ XXXXXXXHXXXXX XXXX|XXXX_   H X
XH$H/////XX XX   XXH      XXXX|  +$ HXXXHX
XXXH   +    $X  @* HXXXXH vXXX|XvXXHXXXXHX
XXXHXvXXXXXvXXXXXXXHXvXXH__   | $  H $  HX
X  H    $          H    H $XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
            ^^            ^^
   1st     scrn    2nd   scrn    3rd
   scrn    brk.    scrn  brk.    scrn

 Note that some bags have moved to lower or less accessible locations.

 4. GENERAL GAMING STUFF

   4-1. POINT SCORING

 When you are waiting, say, for an elevator, you may want to shuffle
around a bit unless you need the time to plan. This will gain you a few
extra points. But don't cut the timing to get on the elevator too thin.

   4-2. WARDENS

     4-2-1. GENERALITIES

 As you gain points, wardens tend to get faster despite what their
white hair would imply. They start off very slowly, with you able to
outrun them while carrying money, but eventually get as fast as you do
and can easily catch up when you have a money bag. Also they take less
time to recover from being stunned. You can get them stuck wandering
about but if they 'see' you(horizontally or vertically) they'll run
after you. Otherwise they may try to estimate where you are and often
they're wrong. An example of how to fake wardens out is below.

HXXXXX
H
XH
H  12
XXXXXX

(Simplified bottom center of 2nd screen)

 Say you're at 1 and you've just knocked the warden out at 2. Then you
can go left, up and right and if you make it in time the warden will
just go left and off the screen. So always try to steer clear of the
warden's line of sight.

 Note that being in a cart makes you immune to wardens, but they will
still follow you.

 It's best to drop money bags on wardens when there's less distance for
it to fall. They're stunned for the same time no matter how hard they
fall, but you'll still have to carry the money back up.

 Wardens and elevators present a different problem. For some odd reason
if you go off the screen and on while they're in an elevator they may
get stunned--but the elevator tends to reset itself too. Also if you
wait on one screen for the elevator the wardens will follow you there.
Then you can switch to the other screen without having the wardens
waiting at the bottom of the elevator you *really* need to get on. Also
beware going down an elevator shaft; you may seem to be going quickly
but a waiting warden can still poke you.

 If you stun a warden and then quickly die, they'll frequently show up
stunned when you start off your next life.

 If the two wardens drop in a pile, they will wake up together even if
they were not knocked out at the same time.

     4-2-2. WHAT SCORE, HOW FAST

Your relative speed when climbing ladders is always constant; it seems
cut by 40% if you've got a money bag.

0-10000: You're over twice as fast and can outrun them even when you
carry a money bag
10000-20000: still twice as fast but you can barely outrun them while
carrying a money bag
20000-30000: 2/3 as fast as you, and you're slightly slower when hauling
money
30000-40000: 4/5 as fast as you, and you're significantly slower than
they are when hauling money
40000+: They're as fast as you are. Without using an edge of screen
trick or an elevator or mine cart you cannot hope to achieve separation.
Note that if wardens are just behind you, climbing down the stairs(or
trying to) will be lethal.

     4-2-3. AI

 Wardens always move right or left if they know you're on a different
screen. This is a good way to stop them from taking the elevator in the
middle of the screen, which is a major cause of annoying fatalities that
seem random but aren't fully.

   4-3. PICKAXES AND MONEY BAGS

 Pickaxes, as described in controls, last for a limited amount of the
time you spend not on a ladder, in a cart, or in an elevator(i.e.
walking around or able to.) Wardens run from them. Beware, though, if
you are on stairs they may not be so helpful.

 Pickaxes are great for chasing guards or stunning them. Sometimes you
may just want to chase the guard or fend one off(critical when they're
as fast as you;) for instance in the third screen there's a pick next to
the elevator, and you may wish to fend a guard off for a bit before
taking the elevator, leaving the pick for later. Also for some reason in
this spot the guard won't climb the stairs if you run after him, so nail
him there. You can also, by the middle screen elevator, swing your
pickaxe and watch the guards fall to the right(good) or left(better, as
they won't be coming back around for a while.)

 If you nail a guard who's climbing on the stairs with a pickaxe in
level 1, it does not disappear. However, if you climb on the stairs and
try to get one, you'll get killed.

 The pickaxe is also needed to get the blue money bag. You need to
break the soft wall four times, moving right and left until it's broken
down.

 You can also grab a pickaxe while in a mine cart and perform a 'drive-
by.' The wardens will still try to run away, though.

 Pickaxes are replaced each time you lose a life.

 Money bags slow you down when you pick them up. You can actually drop
one down a ladder shaft, but of course the further it drops, the further
you have to go to pick it up. Often when a guard is chasing you it's
best to drop a money bag down short ladders.

 General strategy for retrieving money bags should be bottom to top. It
stands to reason that the longer your trek, the more the wardens can
chase you. The faster they are, the better they'll chase you. Combine
the two and it gets impossible. Therefore, move the hardest(lowest)
money bags up when you still have slow wardens.

 If you have a money bag on you when you lose a life, it disappears.
Therefore if you're about to die(wardens surrounding you or low bonus,)
just pick one up. And if you have one and are trying to progress through
levels, DON'T DROP IT unless it's the last one on the screen.

 Money bags are always dropped behind where you are so you may want to
pay attention to the way you're facing when you do so.

   4-4. MINE CARTS AND HANDLES

 Mine carts go faster than you and the wardens, but they'll also kill
you if you touch them. Wardens will still chase you, and it's fun to
watch them run back and forth if they're around. Mine carts also take
you nicely between scenes without having the shock of anything running
into you; however, you need to be careful switching scenes with a mine
cart off on the other side.

 Mine carts are dangerous even when you're in them. Because if you jump
off in the direction they go, it's curtains. They're also dangerous to
wait for if a warden is nearby.

 If you lose a life and go directly right you'll actually pass by the
mine cart(watch out, though, a slight delay can be fatal--in that case
the handholds should work,) and sometimes if you follow a mine cart into
another screen you'll get run over by it even though it's faster and
should be ahead of you.

 It's not too hard to grab a handle on the ceiling(just be right under
it and push action, although the game is not too liberal about when you
can do so) and drop into the cart(push action again.) You can even pick
up or drop a pick and a money bag on the way. If a money bag is right
under the handle, then you'll have to hit action to get in the cart and
then hit action when you run by it again in order to move it.

 Learning how to leave a cart is important, though. Basically just
after the cart begins to bounce the other way, you can jump to the side.
If you do it too soon you die. You also want to make sure you're
reasonably far away from a warden. The point of carts is to give
distance between you and the wardens. You can also exit up a stair,
useful if a warden is chasing you, then drop the money on his head.

 The top mine cart is also a nice no-risk method for picking up the
bags of money, exiting up, and putting the money in the wheelbarrow.

   4-5. ELEVATORS

 Elevators move all the way down express from the top of the screen,
and as they go up they stop when there is ground to the left or right.

 There are two elevators in the game, separated by a screen break.
Wardens often wait by them if they know you are in the elevator area,
and even if you are able to stun them they tend to hang around a bit
making things dangerous for you. The best way to go about things is to
shake the wardens; take them off the screen and then use the elevator.
There'll still be a marginal luck factor, but fortunately the elevators
are rigged so that the first time you enter the right screen you'll be
able to catch one if you run right to it.

 A cool, almost buggy, feature of an elevator is that you can move
halfway out of it and still go up--halfway into a wall--without
dying(two-thirds and you die,) which gives you a bit of an edge. This
can often help when you are trying to avoid the attention of the wardens
on the way down. They'll stab at you and if you're halfway into the
wall, they'll miss unless they are fast(level two,) in which case they
may fall on top of you in the attempt.

 You can knock out a warden taking the elevator, but the problem is
that he stays there for later.

 Wardens will walk through elevator shafts to try to get you. Even
though they are temporarily stunned they'll take the chance of waking up
and nailing you.

 Wardens falling from any height and dropping on you are lethal.

 Dropping a bag of money down the elevator shaft causes it to fall all
the way down. It seems to delay stunning the warden as well. Not
advisable, but for the curious, to do this go to the edge, take a step
back so you're facing away from it, and drop. Remember you always drop
the money behind where you are.

 The elevator in the center screen has four stops and I've tried to
detail the exits.
--bottom stop: can go left or right, but there's a drop to the right
--1st stop: can go right, to a spiral with two money bags in it. I like
to pick one up and go right to the next screen, double back and put the
money in the wheelbarrow when it's between the two elevators
--2nd stop: can go left. Not really useful and in fact wardens may use
it more than you.
--top stop: can go either way, but mostly you want to walk across it
holding the wheelbarrow in order to move it to its final destination to
the right. Also beware that, if you're a bit late getting there, you'll
seem to drop with the elevator but if you're just above the floor that
means you're falling, and you're cooked.

 The elevator in the right screen has six stops.
--bottom stop: can go either way, but watch out for the mine cart going
by. Avail yourself of the handhold several times if waiting for the
elevator to come down.
--second stop: you can bring the money bag to the right(nothing to left)
from here to the top and drop it in a wheelbarrow. You can also hold off
any wardens snooping with your pick as you wait for the elevator to
arrive.
--third stop: you can only go left, but again you can get a money bag.
Once you pick up the money bag on the left(next screen over) go quickly
back right and you'll be able to make it back on the elevator. Then dump
the bag in the wheelbarrow.
--fourth stop: you can only go right, and it's most useful as a way for
wardens to wait for you as you go up. However if wardens sense you exit
here you can drop the money bag on them.
--fifth stop: you can go either way. Often you'll catch the elevator
here when you come from the center screen and go to the top to put the
money bag you got in the wheelbarrow. It's worth noting also that the
wardens never take the top stop here so if you are on top then they will
exit here.
--sixth stop: you'll need to cross by here once with the wheelbarrow to
put it in its final destination, just left of the ladder.

 With this elevator you can often force the bad guys into exiting--or
bypass them completely. They are actually not terribly clever at finding
you once you get on the elevator, unless they can already 'see' it
through one of the shafts. If you are on the bottom and they are on the
top, they wander randomly a bit. Often they'll catch you at the fifth
stop, after which you go up and right to drop your money off(hopefully,)
and they'll be a bit confused by it all. You can also sucker them to
come chasing you near the bottom if they are on the elevator--this is
useful for clearing the bottom money bags(you may want to use the cart
to push them all the way right first.)

   4-6. ONE COOL WHEELBARROW

 The wheelbarrow is fun to pick up and doesn't slow you down but is
annoying to get rid of for beginners.  You'll need a bit of practice,
and sometimes you need to time picking it up, so it's good to learn
timing; the handles will move a bit down when you drop it, although this
may not work at first; having the wheelbarrow over a ladder or elevator
means it won't release, but if you drive the wheelbarrow and are on the
elevator, you'll release it when the elevator drops.

 However its main help for you in outsmarting the guards is that it can
stun them. If a guard is coming up the ladder, just place the
wheelbarrow over it and CRASH! They'll go a tumbling down. If a guard is
chasing you--but not too closely--this is a good way to take him out of
commission for a while.

 You'll want to move the wheelbarrow a few times throughout the course
of the game; eventually you'll need to move it to the right in order to
get the money bags in it in time. In a perfect world you'd want the
wheelbarrow right next to a ladder, although it tends to get clingy at
times. Guards do sense the wheelbarrow if it's too far ahead but if it's
close by they get nearsighted, crash into it, and fall. This is most
effective in the left scene, where guards drop down ladders through LONG
shafts, but it's a good lifesaver if you have your timing down for the
stairs and even the elevators--with a caveat. The wardens, knocked
unconscious on the elevator, just stay there. They'll come back again.

 Also with a wheelbarrow near a ladder you have less legwork
aboveground to get there. It will save you a bit of time in a footrace,
and that can make all the difference.

 The wheelbarrow is reset to the middle of the screen each time you
die.

   4-7. OTHER TERRAIN

 In all three scenes there are slopes you can drop money down. If
you're going that way, it's a great way to save time, and it's a nice
place to drop the money on a warden chasing you hotly, since if you have
a slight lead and change direction, the warden just catches up. Don't
drop the money too near the edge, though, or the bag will sit there, and
wardens near the edge may not be hurt as well. The slope on the left is
also worth noting because wardens often can't see you on the top part.
This isn't always good but often they'll use the ladder to the left,
going up and down a few times, before boondoggling themselves off to the
left, or they may go up and right. With the coast clear(hey, wait, we're
underGROUND, not underwater) you should have few problems getting to the
wheelbarrow.

   4-8. HIGH SCORE LIST(DEFAULT)

018900 FANCHOIS
017900 GASTOUNET
016000 PIERROT
015100 JOJO
014200 J B

 Pierrot is a Maupassant character but the two above seem to be French
nonsense. A Google search turned up nothing and no mystery authors came
to mind although didn't Pierrot write some French fairy tales?

 Woulda been cool to have names like Raffles or Lupin or something in
the list.

 My high score? 144550, level 3, 9/10/2002

   4-9. THE MUSIC(HELP!)

   Not sure what either one is, but you have a tune for the end two but
not the middle.

   4-10. STUFF BAGMAN SAYS

   "Aie, yie yie!"--dies
   "Gr-rrrrief!"--grabs handhold
   "Hey-HUP-pa"--drops money successfully in cart
   "Obba-webba"--drops money in wheelbarrow

 5. SCREEN TRICKS

 If you switch between screens it sometimes stuns wardens on the
elevators or displaces them outright. This can be for better or worse so
if you are in dire trouble it is worth a shot. Also you can walk between
screens and pass a cart as mentioned before(walk right after dying.)
Wardens sometimes get disoriented and fall as well(for instance, down
the shaft covered only partially by ladders on the left screen.)

 The elevator in the right screen is particularly open to manipulation.
If you go onto the right screen and it is falling, leave and come back.
The elevator will be going up. This is particularly nice if the wardens
are waiting below with the elevator at the top. Go onto the right
screen, wait for it to fall below you, exit and re-enter. They will be
utterly clueless and helpless.

 Switching screens also lets you jump a few steps ahead of the wardens
without any reprecussions. However, there seems to be a bug where, if a
warden is on screen C as you move from screen A to screen B, and your
location on screen B is his on screen C, the warden pops up
mysteriously, and you die.

 If a warden is about to be/just knocked unconscious and you go right,
and there's a warden on the next screen, he'll be conked out too.

 6. WALKTHROUGH(AS FAR AS IS REASONABLE)

   6-1. STRAIGHT THROUGH LEVEL 1

 The first level is enough of a task as it is. I also assume that the
player's purpose is to get through the level and not necessarily rack up
points, which is better done through learning technique anyway.

 I always like to start out by nabbing the lowest bag first, the one to
the right of the pickaxe. I heave it almost all the way to the left(to
gain a bit of extra time release it after you go back right,) back up
and wait for the warden to come at me. Hit him with the pick and then
get the money and put it in the wheelbarrow.

 Now it may actually be easier long-term for some people to get the
blue bag and the yellow bag in the lower corner of the second screen
right now; the guards are still a bit slow, and you can afford more
mistakes and silly chances(i.e. the guards' semi-random movements not
cooperating with you.) For the blue bag you may take things in two
parts; move it up to the middle after using the pick(be sure to drop the
pick as you progress) and take the elevator and maybe dump a yellow bag
in the wheelbarrow in the meantime. For the yellow bag it is nice if you
still have the pick to chase off guards, but use the elevator for it as
well.

 But my pattern is to clear out almost everything on the left screen
first. It's not too bad now that you got the toughest one. After you
have it, push the wheelbarrow to the right of the left ladder for a
little convenient slapstick later. Depending on which way the guard
moves after he wakes up you can pick up one of the far left money bags.
If he goes right, you have the time to pick up the bottom one. If he
goes left, pick up the top one. Then knock him out as he climbs up the
stairs(stand over them 'til he's almost to the top and then put the
wheelbarrow over him) and don't take too much time to laugh at his
plight as you follow him down and pick up the other one.

 The next money bag to get is the one next to the empty shaft down.
Goad the wardens up(both should be here by now) and hit them with the
wheelbarrow to gain some time. Drop it right of the ladder and go down.
Now go on the down/right passage and down to get the money bag. You may
even want to get one warden(or both) to follow you. There are a few
options to get out: first, drop the bag down the down/left passage.
Second, climb up the ladder and drop the bag on the warden before
climbing back up and left and reaching the wheelbarrow. Third, stick
around the down/right passage until the wardens go their separate ways;
one usually gets stuck in the far left, the other goes off the screen to
the upper right. Then make a break for the wheelbarrow when you feel you
have enough space.

 The toughest money bag to get in the upper left is the one in the
small shaft below the upper mine cart's path. What you'll want to do is
to render the two wardens out of commission and pick it up ASAP. There
are a few ways to do this. You can knock both to the bottom of the left
shaft and run right ASAP hoping to get the money(risky getting caught,
but you won't run out of time,) you can get off the screen to the right
as both are near the ground(they will run right,) or you can sucker them
over to the wheelbarrow, but just over the empty shaft down. Then crack
'em on the nut and they will have a long trek left and up before they
can consider seeing you. The technique is worth some description.

 If you're able to do this right away(it helps if the two wardens are
together,) or if you can knock the wardens down so that they wake up at
roughly the same time, great. But if not you can use the mine cart at
the top after first moving the wheelbarrow right of the second
ladder(this may require running aroundin circles and using the mine cart
to start.) Try to get the two wardens in the upper part and then just
start taking the mine cart. If only one follows you, use the pickaxe on
and off until the other notices you. Then if you have enough time grab a
money bag, bring it to the surface, and stay over the ladder until the
wardens begin to climb up--BAM! Any remaining money bags in the upper
part left of the elevator will be liquidated.

 If things have gone smoothly then you can probably move the
wheelbarrow just to the left of the first elevator. That's a good place
to leave it as you'll need to put the blue bag(the next item) there and
will need all the time you can get. Now once you drop down the elevator
you'll want to use the pickaxe to break away the stuff guarding the blue
bag. Back and forth, back and forth, four times. Be sure to drop the
pickaxe after two times to recharge it. Then start dragging the blue bag
out. If you see guards coming, you can take the pickaxe, climb to the
top of the stairs, get the guard to follow, go right, drop the pickaxe
and pick it up. BOOM! The guards go left and fall in again, leaving you
a free shot at moving the blue bag up. You can probably drop it in the
cart and take the elevator back down(seems to work for me) but if not
there's plenty of time(or there should be) to catch the elevator down.
Take the pick on top just in case. Your next bags to get will be the
ones in the area just below the pickaxe. They are not too bad; just
remember that if a warden looks as if he wants to take the elevator from
the bottom, go right to the third screen and wait a bit. The AI will
have the warden go right and fall off the ledge. If a warden waits for
the elevator at an above stop, get off at the second bottom stop(unless
you can get a pickaxe, wait for the elevator to go to the bottom,) and
move off the screen to the right. The wardens should fall off then.
Whenever you pick up a bag, go right and get the elevator, then go left
and put the money in the cart. Once you've gotten both, the bottom right
presents a bit of a problem. If possible you'll want to go to the bottom
of the screen, catch the cart, get the money bag(hold the action button
down as you get to the corner) and climb up the stairs leading to the
bottom of the elevator platform in the center screen. Drop the money bag
on the wardens if you must, and hopefully you'll still have the pickaxe
handy--if so and you have wardens chasing you, drop the money bag off
immediately and wield the pickaxe without stunning anyone. There ought
to be enough time for all this.

 Now for the far right screen. It's actually not so bad once you get
used to it. The key thing to remember is which set of ladders to use to
fake out the guards. The first thing, though, is to get the wheelbarrow
pushed across the screen to the far right. Switching between screens
should help this work, although if both wardens go up in the elevator
you can leave the wheelbarrow over them, go quickly left and right, and
then make it across in time. That should put it in place for the final
raid. You'll find the two bags closest to the wheelbarrow will give you
the equivalent of a partial-level bonus. The one below them can probably
wait as the guards will have tracked you by now. You'll also have a host
of other problems to tackle, including the toughest bags on the bottom.
For starters, try to get the guards into positions where you're above
them with the money bag, you drop it on them, and either a)continue to
the top(always possible even on the long ladder) or b)run around them
and drop the bag again before proceeding to a).

 The big question is, where to stick the wardens? I like sticking them
near the top. They seem to hate the surface, although if you're up there
you can give them the ol' wheelbarrow to the head if they invade your
territory. The elevator is a bit dangerous due to the random mine cart,
so what I recommend is a case by case study. In general it's best to
wait for the elevator just above the bottom, but if the wardens wait at
the bottom to get an elevator, you can probably scare them with a
pickaxe, get a money bag and a cart ride, and snake up the side with one
of the bottom bags. But let's go through the bags individually, assuming
the wardens aren't manning the elevators. If they are, then you can
probably snake up the right side.

 1. the bag on the center screen, only accessible from here
 If you are at the bottom, wait for the elevator to go up. Get on it,
go left all the way at the first exit you can(not the bottom.) When on
the next screen, get the bag and go quickly back, nudging left a bit in
case. Wait for the elevator to get to the top and then run right.
 2. The bag on the second-bottom row
 You can use the elevators for this one as well.
 3. The bottom right bag
 If you can go up and right safely after getting this bag, that is
recommended. However you may also wish to go down from the
stairs(second-lowest level) and briefly right, get the bag, up. If a
warden is following you, drop it on his head and pick it up. Defend with
the pickaxe until the elevator arrives.
 4. The bottom left bag
 If you have the time and security to follow the cart, get the bag and
climb back up then that is ideal. However standing under the handle and
getting the bag takes a bit more time although you may be able to drop
the bag under the right ladder for a quick climb. You'll need to jump on
the cart, dropping the money, and then drive back and get the money. On
the bright side screen-shifting as you drive in the cart may cause the
wardens to neglect the right hand side of the board. In this case your
task is easy.

 Now if the wardens get stuck in the diagonal area your task will be
harder, especially if you are on the level just below. They seem to know
when you are trying to pass up onto their level. If you use great
timing(or the pick-axe) then you will be able to stand on the ladder
linking the areas, move quickly left, and pick up the pick-axe until the
elevator arrives. This may be a good time to pick up the bag on the
center screen that can only be accessed from the right--or for that
matter the one in the right corner of the center screen, the toughest
for that area. Note that the wardens probably won't catch you as you go
up, but hit left a bit to make sure.

 To(as I heartily recommend) avoid this situation, if you see wardens
in the elevator, don't go below the stop for the diagonal area until the
elevator has passed it.

 By the way if both guards are at the top shaft below the surface, and
you are coming up with a money bag, you have a chance for a points
racket. Here's how. If you're just under them, go left. They'll go
left(if not you should have time to climb stairs and be waiting to drop
a bag on them) so you can go right. Go up but not before they start to
come down to see you. Wait for them, and...BOMBS AWAY! When you finally
decide to put the bag in the cart(I do so under 1000) they don't seem to
know to chase you if you move away quickly enough.

 A final note: if you were holding the final bag and got killed you
will skip to the next level without the skit between the levels(too bad,
the skit's a good break if nothing else, but an even bigger
disappointment is below.) But even getting through one level can be
reward enough.

 Oh, the skit, for the curious(or MAME infinite life/pick/time cheat-
less:) Guard chases Bagman and wheelbarrow off the screen. Bagman comes
back with pick and brains guard. Bagman gets extra life. This doesn't
happen if you are carrying the final bag and lose a life.

 Level two is really nasty. There are two additional bags I saw(one on
the right of the first screen, the other on the middle of the bottom
mine cart path,) the wheelbarrow is on a random screen, and the wardens
start off fast. It's not easy even to put one bag in the wheelbarrow if
it's all the way to the right.

   6-2. LEVEL 2 AND BEYOND

 First of all you'll want to go after that money bag in the cul-de-sac.
Bring it as far left as you can and then take the pick to scare off, but
not kill, the guard. Then get the money bag and so forth until you're at
the edge. The warden may eventually go down and off to the right, but if
your bonus gets below 1500 you may want to brain him and make a run for
it up the ladder. Be sure to have the bag so you won't have to go
through this again. Now you can start to clear off other bags; the other
warden will probably come over pretty quickly and you may have to spend
time in the sloped areas where they're less likely to see you; note this
is only LESS likely. The AI seems to get more random here, and the
wardens tend to split up instead of staying bunched together. You
probably won't need to make many adjustments for the right screen since
you'll be used to the speed, but beware the first one.

 If the wheelbarrow is not on the first scene you may want to drag the
top yellow money bag there to the right with the aid of the mine cart
and the elevator. Unfortunately there is some chance involved especially
if the barrow is all the way to the right.

 On the center scene the blue bag is still nasty, but you have an
additional yellow bag(basement of the left screen) to put in the
wheelbarrow. This is the best spot to do it; pick up the bag, climb up
the longer bottom ladder, and enter the elevator once the wheelbarrow is
just to the right of it. This way there are fewer slowing ladders to
deal with. Also notice the yellow bag to the left of the elevator base
on the screen to the left. It's actually a nice place to have one; say
you're running low on time picking up the blue bag. You can chip out the
soft sand to get to the blue bag, put the money bag in the cart, and get
back to the blue bag. Be sure to scare the wardens with the pick as
necessary, too.

 Other than that the very right scene, despite the lack of an easy bag
on the surface, may not be too much harder except for the two bags on
the shelf(one on one screen's edge, the other on the other's.) This,
along with the wardens seeming to know a bit more about when you use the
elevators, presents an additional risk, but if you mastered the third
part of the first level, you should be OK here.

   6-3. WHAT IF I LOSE A LIFE?

 This is a necessary contingency; I've only once gotten through the
first level without losing a life(this required immense trial and
error,) and often losing one can reset some hard work you've made to get
to the right screen(not trivial when the wardens are fast.) Time will be
of the essence. The mine cart at the very bottom, however, helps you get
off to a great start. Just be patient using it or even mix it with the
elevator at the center of the whole complex, using the stairs as you go
up.

 Players comfortable with the game should probably not have to worry
about this case until they've cleared the upper left out. The best thing
to do if you haven't is to head directly for the lowest bag of money on
the left you haven't gotten and at least push it up to the slope; the
warden above makes sure you won't bag money that easily off the bat.

 However if you're well along in the level, there are two ways to go to
get nasty obscure bags of money. The first is to run right, grab the
handle, wait until wardens are following you(twice back and forth should
suffice,) and assuming the wheelbarrow is not on the left(if it is, just
climb the far left stairs to drop the money off,) climb up the ladder on
the right and go right. You'll reach the elevator and have a bag of
money to drop off at the top.

 If that one is gone then follow the same advice up til when you get on
the elevator. Go left at the third stop here, get the money bag, and
come back.

 You can even run all the way right, get the money bag, run left to the
hanger, get on the cart, and climb up the larger of the two center
ladders in the screen. Then catch the elevator and run across the top.

 Past that you may wish to pick up the money bag right of the pick on
the third screen, or if you want to juke a bit(bring the pick in the
center along, and watch out for that mine cart) you can pick up one of
the bags below it. If only the top three bags are left then you should
have an easy time of it if you bounce in the very bottom cart a few
times to distract the wardens to the left screen.

 You can also enter the center elevator if you are quick. Run right
immediately, up and right. Any bags you find right of there should be
easily deposited in your wheelbarrow.

End of FAQ proper

================================

 7. VERSIONS/CREDITS

1.1.0: sent to GameFAQs 9/10/2002, with level 2 updates and a sharper
walkthrough

1.0.0: sent to GameFAQs 9/5/2002, mostly complete although there are
probably ways to refine the strategy I haven't discovered. Maybe there's
even a way to deposit a money bag on level 2.

Can't think of any credits aside from the MAME developers(great cheats
there!) but check out KLOV's write-up of Bagman(KLOV.com.) The cabinet
for this game is cool.

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