I guess I should start off by saying that I remember when Pac Man was first released in the arcades. Arcades were much more relevant back then as they were the center of the video game industry. Pac Man spawned, in my opinion, the industry's first run away cultural phenomenon. Everyone lined up to play Pac Man... there were cartoons, breakfast cereals, toys, cards, anything and everything had Pac Man on it. There was a song called "Pac Man Fever" which actually made it to the pop charts. Sure... this all sounds like no big deal today... however in the early 80's... this was the first game to really break out and get EVERYONE playing.

Actually... Pac Man Collection was supposed to be called "Pac Man Fever", but the owner of the rights to that name wanted too much money. Pac Man Collection is, so far, the most comprehensive and complete collection of Pac Man available just about anywhere. It features the classic original Pac Man, with the option to play it "Full Screen" or "Scrolling" allowing for more detailed view of the graphics. Then there is the "Pac Mania" game, which is an update to the classic game with a 3D isometric view of the action as well as the ability to jump. Pac Man Arrangement is a rendition of the not widely seen arcade update to the classic game. Graphics, play mechanics and even the abilities of the ghosts take an upgrade here. Rounding out the list is the puzzle game called Pac Attack. More of a small bonus than a reason to buy the package... it still is nothing to sneeze at.

Gameplay doesn't get any simpler. This is gameplay in its purest form. In the classic Pac Man, you maneuver through the mazes, avoiding the ghosts while eating the dots, bonus fruit and power pellets which allow you to take revenge on the ghosts. There is actually a lot more strategy than most people may think, since the ghosts each have different characteristics and personalities which govern their actions. Figure out these traits... and you're on your way to higher scores as well as the animated cut screens, which were the first time that cut screens were ever in a video game.

Pac Mania throws a couple twists into the formula, not just because of the updated look but also due to the ability to jump over ghosts. It may sound like that would make the game easy... but I assure you... the ghosts are up to the task of making your time there as difficult as possible.

Pac Man Arrangement has the most to offer and is the most pleasant surprise on the cart. Aside from the nice update to graphics and sound, there are also new gameplay dynamics such as the dots that can pulse and even slow down Pac Man as they grow in size, zip lanes which allow you to move from one end of the maze to the other while passing through and dizzying ghosts. Overall, the classic maze and munching gameplay is still the rule.

Pac Attack is a lite Tetris clone. Blocks fall from the sky, cluttering up your playfield. Just like Tetris, the object is to create solid rows of blocks, making the offending rows disappear, prolonging your game. The wrinkle is that ghosts will be included in some of the objects falling from the sky, not allowing you to clear them out until the ghosts are removed. To remove the ghosts, you need to carefully line up the blocks that contain Pac Man so that he eats the ghosts, freeing up the blocks to be deleted.

Control is as basic as gets for the most part, navigating through the mazes is just up, down, left, right. In Pac Mania, in addition to the simple maze navigation, there is a jump button. Pac Attack is just like other Tetris style games, allowing for left and right rotation of pieces as well as a quick drop to speed gameplay along.

The graphics range from the simple yet arcade perfect classic Pac Man to the colorful and crisp sprites in Pac Man Arrangement. It's a mixed bag overall, and nothing that will knock anyone's socks off. However, the graphics in Pac Mania and Pac Man Arrangement are very colorful and pleasing to the eye. Pac Attack is pretty plain actually, but it gets the job done.

Sound and music are perfect translations from the arcade counterparts. It is nice to see the progression in music from the classic Pac Man to Mania and then the most up to date in Arrangement. Very effective use of sound and hearing the classic waka waka really brought back the memories.

This was a tough review to do actually, knowing full well that this game might not offer a younger gamer enough to really warrant the purchase. However, even though some of the gameplay may be dated to some... it still offers a lot of bang for the buck, given the extra games and play modes. If you remember the original Pac Man craze... full price for this title isn't a bad move. If you were just looking to check it out and see what it was all about, a rental or maybe used price would be better for you.