Gameplay is composed of two phases. Initially, the game parts must be physically dug out of a block of plaster. This takes the theme (digging for buried treasure) and puts players to the act of literally digging their way through to actual treasure. This is a one-time-event only, although it may take a few hours to fully accomplish. Next, once the parts have been recovered, players use pieces to move around a pirate's treasure map. This is a basically simple map, and may only hold the attention of children if they have actually dug the pieces out themselves, and may then appreciate the effort involved.