Pac-Man [Tengen Unlicensed]

• Release Date: 1989
• Genre: Action
• Style: Maze
• Similar Games: Ms. Pac-Man (Atari Lynx), Ms. Pac-Man (Arcade), Lock N' Chase (Game Boy), Jr. Pac-Man (Arcade), Jr. Pac-Man (Commodore 64/128), Lady Bug (Arcade), Mouse Trap (Commodore 64/128), Mouse Trap (Arcade), Ms. Pac-Man (Commodore 64/128), Ms. Pac-Man (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Jr. Pac-Man (Atari Video Computer System), Ms. Pac-Man (Atari Video Computer System), Mouse Trap (Atari Video Computer System), Lock 'N' Chase (Atari Video Computer System), Lock 'N' Chase (Arcade), Lock 'N' Chase (Intellivision), Ms. Pac-Man (Game Boy), Ms. Pac-Man (Sega Genesis), Lady Bug (ColecoVision), Mouse Trap (ColecoVision), Ms. Pac-Man [Tengen] (Nintendo Entertainment System), Ms. Pac-Man (Atari 5200), Ms. Pac-Man (Atari 7800), Ms. Pac-Man (Texas Instruments TI-99), Ms. Pac-Man (Sega Master System), Ms. Pac-Man (Sega Game Gear)

Game Description

Arguably the most popular video game character ever created, Pac-Man makes his way to your home in this self-titled cartridge for the NES. As most people with any sense of popular culture know, Pac-Man is a yellow, pie-shaped little guy with an enormous appetite. Your job is to guide him around a maze, gobbling up all of the dots.

During your feast, four ghosts will chase after you. If you let Blinky, Pinky, Inky, or Clyde touch Pac-Man, you lose a life, unless, of course, you have recently eaten an energizer dot. When you do eat an energizer dot, Pac-Man can eat the ghosts for extra points. There are four of these type of dots on the screen, one in each corner of the maze. Another way to get extra points is to eat the fruit that bounces from time to time throughout the maze.

When you have cleared the maze, you start the process all over again, this time with faster ghosts and a different kind of fruit. As it says on the box, this version of Pac-Man came out ten years after Namco's original arcade classic.

Roots & Influences

This version of Pac-Man is a faithfully recreated remake of the 1980 arcade classic of the same name. The arcade version of Pac-Man is the first maze video game.

Review: Overall

As those who have played the original Namco arcade version of Pac-Man will instantly realize, this version of Pac-Man is a straightforward translation with no extra bells or whistles. There are no difficulty levels to choose from, no alternative maze configurations, and the two-player mode is alternating only. In other words, the basic game of Pac-Man is all you get. Even so, this is a very nice game as it is about as good an arcade conversion as you could expect on the NES.

When comparing the arcade version of Pac-Man with the NES version, I was struck by Tengen's attention to detail. Subtle things from the arcade game a casual gamer might not notice are accurately recreated for the home. When you clear a maze it flashes like in the arcade game, and when you win a free man, the ensuing sound effect is strikingly similar. More obvious similarities to the arcade game include the ghosts moving in similar patterns and the inclusion of the cute intermissions.

As far as maze games go, Pac-Man in its various forms is one of the best, but it is not as good as its sequel, Ms. Pac-Man. Ms. Pac-Man is faster, it has four different maze designs (as opposed to one), and the ghosts move in more elaborate patterns. Ms. Pac-Man is available for the NES, so you may want to skip Pac-Man and go for his girlfriend, instead. Either way, you'll be getting a good maze game that will provide you and your family with hours and hours of fun.

If you are one of the millions of people who love Pac-Man, and you can't afford or you don't have room for the real thing, Pac-Man for the NES is the game for you.

Review: Enjoyment

Though not as fun as Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man is a classic game that most people enjoy.

Review: Graphics

The graphics are very similar to the arcade game. True Pac-Man fans want nothing less and nothing more.

Review: Sound

The theme song, the intermissions, and the sound effects are cute, memorable, and faithfully recreated.

Review: Replay Value

If you can find a copy of {*Ms. Pac-Man}, this game may collect dust on your shelves for awhile. But eventually, you will play it again.

Review: Documentation

The manual features plenty of information, especially considering the fact that the game is simple to learn how to play.