Pacmania review - Sega Megadrive

PacMan, one of the most famous arcade characters of all time, is back - and this time he's brought his Dad. Well, no, he hasn't really, but this Megadrive version of the coin-op includes all the features of the original 1989 coin-op.

Featuring all four of the original levels - Block Town, PacMan's Park, Sandbox Land, and Jungly Steps - this forced-perspective 3D game stars everyone's favourite happy yellow blob collecting dots that are scattered around the landscape.

Of course things are never that simple. Pursuing PacMan are a number of ghosts, all bent on bringing about his demise. Some ghosts track him by his trail, others by working out where he is at present. Luckily our hero can jump, and neatly evade the nasties - if the hand on the joypad is quick enough!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

The concept of dot-gobbling might be as old as the hills, but Pacmania proves that it's still as addictive as ever! It's a very slick convention, and features every aspect of the coin-op, from the crisp graphics and wacky tunes to the neat intermission screens between levels. The varied difficulty settings offer plenty of challenge, even to the most seasoned of PacMan veterans, and the Pac boost adds a new aspect to the gameplay. If you're after something simple, addictive and different, Pacmania fits the bill perfectly.

Until now, Megadrive owners have been deprived of Pac-related hilarity. Fortunately, Pacmania goes a long way to redressing the balance. It adds an awful lot to the old PacMan formula, the 3D angle and giant mazes make the game much less predictable, Pac's jumping ability stops you getting into any instant death positions and each level's graphical difference prevents the action becoming too repetitive. Visually, there are few differences between Megadrive Pacmania and the arcade version, and the sound is also faithfully reproduced. If munching dots and dodging ghosts is your thing, you won't be disappointed.