Pac-Man has had a long history in computer games and so it’s no surprise that he would make another appearance. This time he and his friends are starring in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.

There has always been something a little odd about Pac-Man as a gaming character, let’s face it he’s a character who spends all his time eating his enemies, before spewing out their eyeballs. As a 2D representation of the early eighties there was a certain amount of distance between the gamer and the carnage, but no longer.

In this platformer Pac and his friends have to venture out into the world to rid it of ghosts and to recover berries which allows Pac to chomp his way through pretty much anything. The action starts in Pacopolis where the ghostly undead have attacked. Time for a little Pac revenge.

The game is clearly aimed at a younger audience, but that said, it is still a pretty solid affair, if a little uninspired for an older audience. Worse still, your enemies can appear on the screen with nary a warning, completely disturbing your current attempt to climb another bunch of boxes. At the end of each level you get to have a boss fight, but it’s not desperately difficult, but then you should put the game down and give it back to the kids for whom it was designed.

The top screen is used for the pre-rendered story screens; here you just have to click through the text which represents the paper thin storyline. Also it is here that you get to choose whatever power ups you have accumulated through the game levels. Once you have cleared the first level, The City, you then have the choice to either go back to try for a higher score, or travel to one of six other distinct locations. In the main body of the game the top screen is used for the sideways scrolling game, while the lower screen shows your score and progression.

In this side scrolling platformer Pac spends his time chomping through the opposition, either on the same level as himself, or in combinations using his flying chomping skill. Pac can jump, double jump, dangle off objects and get fired out of a cannon while getting around his world. He can also pick up special berries which give him powers: Control over fire and ice are useful as is the ability to grow huge.

If the story is basic, then the platforming is the best part of the game, allowing the player not only multiple ways of traversing the screen, but also the ability to go back and do it all over again differently.

It’s a nice, solid game and the difficulty is well judged when thinking of its target audience.

6

Charles Packer