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Dom Robinson reviews
Sony
- Price: £19.99
- Players: 1
- Widescreen: Yes
- 60Hz: No
- DTS sound: No
Pac is back in Pacman World 2, a simple maze game that takes the original style and blends it with a 3D world like Crash Bandicoot‘s, such that it also involves running and jumping, as well as coming down hard on crates (called “butt-bounce” here) to reveal bonuses including cherries, extra dots. There’s also a variation on the ‘Sonic Spin’ from the eponymous hedgehog.
Brilliant opening FMV sequences greet you showing the ghosts invading Pacman’s territory and our hero learns of this event. Does the point of the plot really matter? What you need to know is that while this game owes a lot to others, it’s been programmed in such a way that it’s still bloody great fun – and how often can you say that about a game?
Before each level there’s a shot of Pacman walking across the screen which looks like it has unwanted jaggies, but thankfully these are gone when playing the game itself. There are great water effects, fantastic use of bright colours, enthusiastic music and all those important sound effects to recreate the 80s.
It’s pretty much spot on when it comes to controlling Pac. The only problem can be with some icy sections so you’d best make sure to avoid these sometimes.
Certain sections can be easy but look fantastic as you traverse your way through, while others can be palm-sweatingly difficult. However, there is a very liberal sprinkling of extra lives, occasionally allowing you to try the odd scene as many times as you like because you’ll always find the requisite power-up along the way.
Even if this was all there was, I’d conclude that it’s fun for old and young alike, and that you really can’t say no to this for a penny under twenty quid.
Then it takes one step further – collect tokens around Pac’s world and you can play the original arcade games of Pacman, Pac-Attack, Pac-Mania, Ms. Pacman, plus the Pacman World 2 mazes – which are fancy Pacman levels containing the usual sound FX from the 80s, plus a jukebox.
Looks like we don’t have the excellent Pac-Land, but with the bonus of these extras, does it get any better than this?
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC
PLAYABILITY
ENJOYMENT
OVERALL 
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.