PAC-MANIA

Intrepid muncher, Les Ellis gets his teeth into an old fave

He's back! Your little, yellow, power pill popping pal has returned to the screens in his most popular game, Pac-Mania. Of course computer owners have been enjoying the delights of Pac-Mania for nearly two years (thanks to the old Grandslam game), but now Master System owners can join in the fun with Tecmagik's first development on the console.

The basics are, er, basic. Pac-Mania takes the original Pac-Man and forces a 3-D perspective upon it. Of course, the graphics have been greatly enhanced and the number and types of levels increased, but the basic gameplay is practically the same. However, there's one important difference between this and the original Pac-game - in this one you can jump! Yes, that means no more "impossible" situations; the length of the game depends more on your skill than on the "cheating" computer. As always, you are chased around the maze by some bug-eyed ghosts. These unfriendly creatures will satisfy their hunger pangs by eating you if they get close. However, the ubiquitous power pills lie in the corners of every maze and turn all the ghosts into edible ghoulles for a short time.

The mazes are divided into six rounds, each containing two mazes of a similar graphical nature. The first three are selectable directly from the start, whereas the other three have to be played through in order if you are to see them. The first screen also contains a special bonus level. It's great to see Pac return to our screens- The old guy has been sorely missed, as has his simple, addictive gameplay. But Tecmagik's version is much more than that, this also contains some incredible Master System graphics and an ear-bashing aural accompaniment. Old it may be, but it has certainly stood the test of time.

MASTER SYSTEM

GRAPHICS 92%

✔ Big, bold characters and great backdrops.

✔ Could be the best MS graphics yet!

SOUND 80%

✔ All the arcade tunes are included.

✔ Loads of sound effects: munching etc.

PLAYABILITY 86%

✔ Six levels (+bonus) of pure nostalgia.

✔ Very addictive, immensely playable.

TECMAGIK 86%

£29.99 • OUT JULY

Rating
86
Reviewer
Raze magazine
Region
UK
Scans
Raze-Magazine-Issue10?gallerypage=27

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