This is perhaps a lesser known title from Micromania that was one of many Pacman clones available for the ZX Spectrum.
If you like Pacman then this is a decent version to try. I never played this one back in the day but took the notion for a spot of Pacman gaming today.
So here is a quick review of a nice version of one of the most classic arcade games of all time...
Look it's one of many Pacman Games available for the Speccy - there isn't too much I can say about it that you won't already know! (Unless you've been living under a rock for the last thirty years).
Travel around the maze to gobble the pellets, avoid the ghosts (which do exhibit varying AI - just as they should) munch the power pills to make the ghosts eatable for a short amount of time. The screen also has the wrap-around from left to right and right to left - like any classic Pac-Man game should.
To complete the screen you have to eat all the dots and energy blobs in the maze whilst avoiding the blue, red, purple and green ghosts.
If a ghost touches you a life is lost. Eating a pulsating blob causes the ghosts to turn light blue and become vulnerable, allowing you to eat them to score extra bonus points.
After a short time they become invulnerable again - again just like the arcade game.
One good thing about this game is the difficulty selection which actually adds variety to the game as well as making it more difficult or easier.
For example:
- LEVEL 1-3 Features normal mazes in the classic Pac Man style
- LEVEL 4-6 Features mazes which become invisible after a short time - pretty novel for 1983!
- LEVEL 7-9 Features completely invisible mazes
- LEVEL 10 Features an invisible maze coupled with double speed ghosts! Pac-tastically difficult
One annoying thing about the game is the little ditty that plays after you lose a life. I mean it's okay as far as BEEPER tunes go but it gets on yer pecs after a few times.
This game was also a title that would run on a 16K Spectrum - if you like Pacman then check it out.
And that's about it!
It's Pac Man, it's playable and it is a fine example of a total retro game.
We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download anything but this game for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.
GENRE: Arcade Game (Pac Man)
RELEASE DATE: 1983
RELEASED BY: Micromania
DEVELOPER(S): Dominic Wood
PRICE: £5.95
Classic Arcade Gaming:
The Maze Disappears - Pac Man is slightly scary!
Classic Games, Arcade Games and ZX Spectrum Games
1 comment:
Haha, I had a Speccy Pac-Man 'tribute' like this one too, it was called Muncher I believe :)
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