1982 Bally Midway / Namco

An often-overlooked sequel to the 1980 original, in which gameplay is dramatically enhanced with a new maze layout and the addition of an extra powerup type.  There are two pulsing green dots, which Pac-Man can eat to become much larger, faster, and immune to ghosts.  He can also eat through the pink walls dotted around the maze, which must normally be opened by eating the keys nearby.


Combining a power pill with a green pulsy thing has the dual effects of making Pac-Man enormous and fast, turning the ghosts blue, and extending the time by which both powerups are active.  Pressing the cabinet's button while Pac-Man is larger roughly doubles his speed, which is perfectly balanced between being useful and being hard to control, so you don't end up just holding down the button.

The dots of the original are replaced with apples, corn, fried eggs, Galaxians and all sorts of other things depending on the level you're on.  Their points values go up by ten points per round, and the game's very definitely score-based.

It's a simple game, but a very addictive one, and a great improvement on the original.  Super Pac-Man should have been far more famous than it is now.

Oh, and the best thing; this game's JAMMA-compatible, so if you see it on eBay, grab it before I do.

tag/classic