Still So Many Dots to Eat!
This game collects a few Pac Man titles on one cartridge. You get, of course, Pac Man, which is a beautifully rendered version of the original arcade game complete with original sound effects, colors, etc. There are a few options that you can take advantage of when playing this. You can use a full screen mode and scrolling mode. I recommend the scrolling mode unless you have a Game Boy Player for Gamecube. Because on the GBA screen, full screen is downright tiny. You can adjust the amount of lives you have at the beginning of the game from the default three to five. You can also adjust how many points you receive for picking up bonus objects. Then you play. It's Pac Man. You know the drill.
Pac-Attack is also included on the cartridge. This is a Tetris-like game where you have to build your lines. The catch is, there are ghosts in parts of these lines and you need to get Pac Man (who drops in every few choices) and drop him in the right place to eat the pesky ghosts to make a line. This is actually harder than it sounds, but it is a fun game with various skill levels you can set it at.
Pac-Mania is a tilted, 3D rendered version of the game. This is fun. There are several screens that you encounter, rather than just one over and over. The object is the same, eat all the dots. But this version gives you one thing that the original did not: the ability to jump! This is how Mario would have handled this maze. You move a bit slow, but it is a fun take on the original.
Pac-Man Arrangement is the other game included on the cartridge. At first, it simply looks like a beefed up version of the original. Nope. This is probably my favorite of the three non original Pac Man games. In this version, you get a fifth ghost that is bigger and meaner than the other four. Each screen has a different gimmick. On one, it is just like the original except that the dots wave as if Pac Man is drunk. There is a "dash" version where hitting forward in a certain spot will rush you to the other side of the screen, unaffected by ghosts in your path. It is a fun addition to the game.
This is a fun trip down memory lane. I recommend it for retro gamers and fans of the Pac Man genre. I wish that Ms. Pac-Man was included on this, but she has her own cartridge so I understand.
The main point of Pac-Man was always high scores. The only place where this game falls short is the inability to save high scores. This is a downer on an otherwise great game.
I recommend playing it on the Gameboy Player for Gamecube if you have one. It is obviously larger, easier to see, and more fun. Plus you can appreciate the vibrant colors and work that went into this game.