Wacka-wacka! PacMan is back yet again - but returns to PacWorld to find everything's gone 3D on him! Unperturbed by this, our yellow spherical hero with the voracious appetite goes on yet another munching spree, out to clear the four levels (Block Town, PacMan Park, Sandbox Land and the Jungly Steps) of video pills, and also see whether he can find Coin World, an all-new secret world. As you'd expect, PacMan's arch enemy, those pesky ghosts, are back, but Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde have been joined by two new recruits - Sue and Funky, and all six are out to make PacMan's life just as much of a misery as before. The tables can be turned, however, by munching on a power pill, giving PacMan the ability to bite back! If the going gets too tough, however, and PacMan finds himself trapped, he can also jump over the ghosts' heads to escape!

JUMP TO IT

Since making the transition to 3D, PacMan has learned how to jump. If he's in a tight corner, a press of the fire button makes him leap over an oncoming ghost. But watch out - on later levels, the ghosts can also jump, and bumping into them in mid-air is fatal...

COIN WORLD

The Sega version of Pacmania features a whole new level which wasn't in the coin-op. The only problem is that it's hidden, and it's up to the player to find it. Can you find it? The first letter MEAN MACHINES receives which explains how to get to it will win its sender a copy of the next two Tecmagik games, Populous and Shadow of the Beast. Send your entry to: I'M RICH RICH RICH COS I'VE FOUND COIN WORLD, MEAN MACHINES, PRIORY COURT, 30-32 FARRINGDON LANE, LONDON, EC1R 3AU.

PAC TRACKS

Probably the most famous character in video-game history, during the early eighties, PacMan built up the sort of following now enjoyed by the likes of Mario and the Turtles. At one stage, the amount of PacMan paraphernalia included a mini coin-op, bubble baths, phones, a cartoon series, board game, an album (anyone remember PacMan Fever?), towels, cuddly toys, posters, magazines, clothes, food, watches and a whole host of other stuff. PacMan even went on a national tour across the US to promote the then-newly-released Atari 2600 PacMan cartridge, with crowds of screaming fans having to be restrained by the National Guard!

PAC GAMES

PacMan games history is even more chequered, with the original PacMan, Ms PacMan, PacMan Jr (a curious mixture of a mini pin table and a video game) Super PacMan (a scrolling PacMan game), Mr and Mrs PacMan (a proper pinball table), Professor PacMan (an educational coin-op, of all things!), PacLand (a horizontally scrolling arcade adventure), Super Pacland (more of the same, but harder) and finally PacMania.

Comment

MATT

This has got to rate alongside Gauntlet as the most outstanding Master System conversion yet. Full-screen graphics and an addictive quality result in a game which grabs you from the outset and only lets go when you've played the thing to death! Okay, the somewhat repetitive nature of the game could lead to some players relegating this to the back of the software cupboard before long, but fans of the coin-op and nostalgia freaks will absolutely love it.

JAZ

I've played what seems like a thousand different PacMan games on a thousand different systems a thousand times before, but I still enjoyed this. It's incredibly slick, with fast, smooth and colourful graphics and really addictive gameplay. The ghosts are pretty devious, and you have to work out some good escape patterns to keep them off your back - cracking all the levels and finding Coin World certainly takes some doing! Pacmania is one of the most enjoyable, challenging and addictive Sega coin-op conversions yet seen - PacFans shouldn't miss it.

Rating

By
TecMagik
Price
£29.99
Release date
May
Game difficulty
Medium
Lives
3
Continues
3
Skill levels
1
Responsiveness
Great
Presentation
80%
A very nice title screen, with one or two-player options.
Graphics
86%
Excellent full-screen graphics that bear a remarkable resemblance to the coln-op.
Sound
83%
A nice rendition of the arcade music, with the familiar "wacka wacka".
Playability
91%
So easy your granny a cat could play it, and extremely addictive from the word go.
Lastability
84%
Loads of skill levels and a mystery level to keep PacFans happy for weeks and weeks.
Overall
90%
A brill conversion of a great coin-op, and a game that you'll play again and again.
Rating
90
Reviewer
Mean Machines magazine
Region
UK
Scans
MeanMachines-Magazine-Issue6?gallerypage=86

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