Ms. Pac-Man (NES)

Tengen week continues!

Difficulty: ***1/2
Controls: ****1/2
Sound: **
Graphics: **1/2
Overall: 12 1/2 stars out of 20

You all know Ms. Pac-Man right? Eating pellets is the name of the game as you run around each maze and avoid ghosts! Tengen brings us a great arcade port with many new features added in. This is Ms. Pac-Man!

Right from the bat you get four different difficulty modes to choose from. Easy, normal, hard and crazy. The ghosts adjust their speed accordingly. Even on easy mode by the apple level the ghosts will speed up and come after you (Clyde is still pretty stupid though!) As well your power pellets (that make the ghosts edible, crazy eh?) don't last as long the further you go. Overall, there's a good challenge for newcomers and veterans alike!

Very easy controls. In fact its pretty bare bones! Just press each arrow key to direct Ms. Pac-Man. You can also turn on the boost mode on the selection screen. You can set it to 'always on' or
'use the A or B buttons'. Mind you, using the boost is great for straight aways but no so for sharp turning. Beware.

You don't get much music in the game. Not even an opening theme! Once you do begin the game you're treated to the classic 'Ms. Pac-Man' theme. During the cut scenes you get a nice little melody too, but that's about it. The sound effects as you munch on pellets, get the power pellets and eat the ghosts are all great. But you think the people at Tengen could have added something more for the console release?

The sprites and the layout of each stage is very colourful. But there is no great attention to detail. This is after all a Pac-man game! You come for the tight game play, not to see their ugly mugs (especially you Clyde!) One nice touch is the various bonus items you get. Turning on the strange mode you will come across a lot of zany things (glass shoe, ice cream cone among others!)

With many different modes to choose from (1 player, 2 player co-op, competitive, alternate). As well as four different difficulty settings AND maze selection, this has got too be the greatest iteration of Ms. Pac-Man! While the graphics and music are nothing really outstanding (more like lacking) it is a Pac-Man game. The controls are simple as anyone can just pick up and play the game. Despite its low rating don't hesitate to grab this game. Its a wonderful party game that will have everyone taking turns! Waka, waka!