thanks for the headsup, nice review -nt-

"Wuba luba dub dub!"

I typed up this article after feeling a need to write it at 2:00 this morning. Couldn't even sleep until I'd done most of it. Did the finishing touches this afternoon, and this is the result.

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“Pac-man� for the Atari 2600 – Overview

I won't pretend that the Atari 2600 version of Pac-man is a good game by the farthest stretch of the imagination. In terms of gameplay, it leaves a lot to be desired, and as a port of the arcade game, it falls flat on its face. But with all extreme opinions and criticism said long ago, now is a good time to look over it with a clearer head.

Looking it over nowadays, I can't really hate it all that much. Sure, it's a terrible port. But supposed you want to play a variation of Pac-man rather than a true-to-form port of it; a play-alike with a whole different feel to it. 2600 Pac-man does fill the bill, and looking at the game that way, it's no worse than average.

It wasn't the only time a variation-instead-of-port event happen for the Atari 2600, either. 2600 Defender – which wasn't a faithful arcade port either – offered a refreshing variation on gameplay itself, and was extremely well-made. But, after a while, the Landers picked up and mutated the civilians so quickly, even the most skilled player couldn't save any of them in time, and players ended up with endless waves of mutated aliens. Yes, you regained all your civilians and another planet after five waves, but the Landers quickly turned it back into a mutant planet again long before the level even ended, despite your best efforts.

Going back to 2600 Pac-man, the graphics of the 2600 rendition are not exceptional, nor is the sound. But I found the game has an interesting, unique feel all its own, and its extremely simplistic sound only adds to that effect. Its use of color is refreshing, and it's fairly playable for a short period of time.

Where the game really fails is in its replay value. Once you pass the first level, the game has nothing new to offer – The prizes (a.k.a. the wafer that appears) never vary, there are no palette changes at all to create even the slightest illusion of variation, and the gameplay ends up becoming too repetitive too quickly. Add to that, the flickering ghosts are an eyesore. Putting up with one level's-worth of the ghosts' visuals is enough.

All in all, 2600 Pac-man is more a commercial failure and an Atari misfire rather than a disaster as a game. It's not a game I'd recommend buying, whether or not you're a Pac-man fan. However, for those who are tired of the “feel� of the original Pac-man, but not the gameplay, it might be worth five minutes of your time, perhaps by playing it through an emulator or by borrowing the cartridge from a friend. Personally though, I think you can do better. Try Pac-droids for the Tandy Color Computer if you really want an interesting variation. I think it'll keep you challenged and amused for much longer, if it does nothing else.

- Tricob.