Pac-Man

"Pac Pac Pac Attack!"

Pac-Man is a game familiar to anyone who played games in the early to mid-80's. Sometimes you can still find cabinets in the arcade, just waiting for you to deposit a quarter in them. Of course, this review is for the much maligned Atari 2600 port of Pac-Man, not the original arcade game.

So what is Pac-Man, you might ask. Not everyone was around during those days. In know there are people that have never played any version of Pac-Man, or even seen it played.

The idea is simple. You're a small yellow circle moving around in a maze. As you move, you eat dots on the ground, which give you some points. Like a lot of old games, the point is to get a high score, so eating the dots is a way to rack up points. Once all the dots have been eaten, you progress to the next stage.

It doesn't sound so difficult thus far, I know. But that's because I haven't mentioned the ghosts. As Pac-Man eats the dots, he's being chased and hounded by four enemies, ghosts, who will kill Pac-Man if they touch him.

Fortunately for Pac-Man he can turn the tables on the ghosts. There are 'pills' on each stage, and when Pac-Man eats one of those, he can turn around and eat the ghosts, racking up bonus points as he does so. The effect of the pills wears off for a short time, so the ghosts will eventually stop running away from Pac-Man and start chasing him again.

Pac-Man has rather simple gameplay, but it's good. The controls are tight. And like a lot of other simple games, it's addictive to play. There's reflex elements at work: can you make that turn before the ghost gets you? There's puzzle elements: how fast can you clear the maze out? Can you lure all the ghosts close together, grab the pill, then eat all four? Action and thinking work together to make a challenging and fun experience.

Now for a quick scoring summary for those of you keeping track of the numbers:

Gameplay: 9

I know some people claim the Atari version has inferior controls to the arcade, and thus grade Pac-Man low, but they're not really being fair. The controls are good, they're tight. Pac-Man goes where you want him to, when you want him to. Combined with the thrill of chasing and being chased, you've got an open ended essentially 'action-puzzle' game that's easy to get lost in.

Graphics: 3

I'll be honest. It's an Atari 2600 game. The graphics are not good. They're serviceable. But they're not good.

Sound: 3

Bleeps and bloops. Once again, it's just old. Some people say it's worse than just being old, but I can't really find fault with it other than the sheer age of the game. The sound hasn't held up well at all.

Replay: 8

I think I used the word addictive up above. It's true. Back in the day, there were reports in newspapers of people playing the arcade version for over 24 hours straight. You can lose yourself in the game, just like you can in more modern puzzle games like Tetris. It's got the same sort of vibe to it.

Other: N/A

I've mentioned the arcade game several times in this review of the Atari 2600 game. This is inevitable, because people who've played the arcade game more extensively than I have conclude that the Atari 2600 game is far inferior to it. I can't really comment on that; I've only played arcade cabinets of Pac-Man a handful of times over the years.

Overall: 6

This is a good old game that's worth your time. If you're just looking for a classic to play, or if you want something to tickle the mind with pure gameplay, this is a game that you should try. Don't come in with many expectations, and you'll rather enjoy the experience.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/06