Waka waka waka waka! Coming atcha bee-atches, Lady Pac is in the house and munching is on the menu. A lot of munching in fact. For those unaware of the mechanics, here's a quick recap. Ms. Pacman starts in the maze with lots of dots to eat, most small, and a few large ones in the corners.

Pursuing her are four ghosts (monsters, ghost monsters, choose your name poison) intent on doing her harm. Eating one of the large pills allows her to pursue the ghosts for a short while and eat them instead. Occasionally a fruit target will bounce around the maze for more points.

Unlike the original, each maze is randomly generated and there are bonus rounds to negotiate for extra score. In addition for this version, you have the option of changing the number of ghosts and the difficulty level to make it as easy or as hard as you want.

This works really well as a homage to Ms. PacMan. The new bonus rounds and the randomly generated mazes add to the basic formula.

The options menu is a clever addition too, allowing you to tailor the game. Graphics and sound feel respectful to the original. Control is spot on, but the ghost AI can be a little haphazard when close to the player - and their return to the ghost house when eaten feels a little rapid. While it's eminently playable, long-term it hasn't got a lot to offer.

A fun reminder of a classic game.

I popped in my C64 cartridge of Atarisoft's original Ms. PacMan before this review, and Ladyfrac... erm, Lady Pac has several improvements that are a testament to the developer's love for the original: Nicer SFX, snappier gameplay, and bonus levels, even if the A.I. feels a bit less "I". Overall, though this Lady pacs improved fun, my real issue is it's hard to get super excited about a game you essentially played to death in the 80s.

I'd love to see what original games Luca can come up with - I bet they'd be amazing!

I don't love Pac-Man (or its sequels), mainly because I'm not very good at it/them. I'm never averse to the occasional game though, and this is easily the best variant on the C64. It looks and sounds as good as any Pac-Man game could and it plays really well, with perfectly precise controls.

It's a little slower than the arcade game and that's fine, as it's a little less overwhelming for the average player. I like the randomly generated mazes. They reduce the likelihood of boredom.

I doubt if there will ever be a better Pac-Man game on the C64.

Presentation 80%
Polished attract sequence, options menu and high-score saver.

Graphics 60%
Replicates the style of its inspiration well.

Sound 66%
Accurate music and FX add to the appeal.

Hookability 70%
Randomly-generated mazes give some incentive to play again.

Lastability 67%
The two-player modes give reasons to return.

Overall 70%
Treads the line between homage and clone, with a few gameplay improvements.