Diggin' It

Diggin' It is the seventeenth level in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. Crash finds himself in a snowy environment similar to the snowball chase levels, but it's not snowballs that he'll be dodging today - it's weird snow-dwelling bees! Fortunately, bees will go down to a simple spin attack, so they're not a huge factor here - Crash should be far more careful of the undefeatable sentient (and apparently bipolar) statues, mallet-wielding lumberjack Lab Assistants, and red Venus Fly Traps, which spit grenade-like seeds and will only fall to a belly flop....or a spin from underground! Crash can dig into the patches of magenta soil throughout the latter half of the stage, making for a cute but extremely forgettable gimmick.

This level contains a Death Route which, while not terribly difficult on its own, not only features a hidden Clear Gem, but also a number of crates necessary to obtain the crate Gem. As such, most players agree that collecting all the crates on this level is entirely too hard, because they literally always miss one. On the bright side, this level also contains an exciting secret warp to the secret sixth warp room, and the secret entrance to Road to Ruin - just keep your eyes peeled for the roundish pillar sticking out of a pit, guarded by a red Venus Fly Trap Pirahna Plant.

Trivia

 * This level's name is a reference to the famous song "Dig It", released on the popular Beatles' well-known 1970 album, Let It Be. The "-gin" is added, presumably, to foreshadow once again the boss of this Warp Room Area, Doctor Neville Gin, or more likely in reference to his beloved favorite preferred beverage of choice. The meaning of the mysterious apostrophe is unknown.
 * Some fans think it's odd that the lumberjack Lab Assistants in this level wield croquet mallets, instead of something one actually could use to down a tree, like an axe, or one of those saws for two. It is possible that they are not working at this time, and Crash has instead interrupted them on their joyous group croquet vacation, their lumberjack outfits being worn on their off-time simply because they own no other clothes, due to monetary cheapness.
 * Despite the presence of many beehives in this level, Crash cannot break them open and eat delicious honey to restore his health, unlike in rival Rareware's popular and famous Banjo-Kazooie series. No explanation for this is provided in-game, and fans have speculated endlessly about this odd omission, though it might be because Cortex Strikes Back doesn't feature a honeycomb-based health system, unlike rival Rareware's famous and popular Banjo-Kazooie series.