Pac-Man Collection

"This collection brings together four enjoyable Pac-Man themed games."

The Pac-Man Collection for the Game Boy Advance is one of many "arcade compilations" available for the system. This comilation brings together four games: Pac-Man, Pac-Man Arrangement, Pac-Mania 3D and Pac-Attack. These games were released between the 1980s and 1990s, and all have been included either on the arcade machines or other compilation packs on other systems. So while these four games are hardly anything new, it is the first time that all have been made available on a portable system in one convenient Game Pak.

Pac-Man is a perfect emulation of the original arcade classic. This means that everything, including graphical bugs and technical flaws, have been reproduced. This also means you get Pac-Man, with its now old hat gameplay and overly basic gameplay. (It's not anywhere near as good as Ms. Pac-Man.) Of course, don't think that this is at all a bad thing. There is a market for those who want perfect arcade reproductions, and this will certainly satisfy the demand.

Pac-Man Arrangement is just that... an arrangement on the original. It takes the original formula and gameplay, but introduces 3D graphics, colorful levels and even boss battles. Think of this as the original arcade game but updated for the modern gaming era. Pac-Man Arrangement, I think, is the highlight of this compilation, and is the main reason anyone would buy this. It's quite enjoyable and shows that Pac-Man, even with its dated formula, can still work in the modern age of video gaming and not become lost among the millions of other puzzle games.

Pac-Mania 3D is also similar to Pac-Man Arrangement in that it's mostly the original formula, but with a graphicla update. I personally find this to be the weakest game in the collection, and wouldn't have missed it if was excluded in favor of something else, like Ms. Pac-Man. It doesn't do anything that Pac-Man Arrangement already does better.

Pac-Attack is a Pac-Man themed version of Tetris or Columns. If you've played Tetris, then you'll know how to play this game. Of the four games, this is also one of the weaker additions, and I don't find it nearly as enjoyable as the original game or Pac-Man Arrangement. I also don't see the point of this game being in the compilation when you can already get Tetris or other Tetris-like games for the GBA. Pac-Man may have become somewhat of an icon in the video gaming community, but there should be more substance to games that are formula clones of others, like this one.

This compilation sells for as little as $9.95, and makes a nice addition to any GBA library. If you can deal with the fact that you're really only getting two decent games, out of four, then you'll likely have a fun time with this compilation. This is certainly one of the better bargain buys you can get for the GBA.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/14/01, Updated 03/24/09

Game Release: Pac-Man Collection (US, 07/12/01)