Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man

Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man is a plug-and-play unit that contains the built-in arcade games Pac-Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Dig Dug, Pac-Man Plus, Pac & Pal, Bosconian, New Rally-X, Xevious, Galaxian, Mappy, and Super Pac-Man. The unit can connect to a TV, vcr, or DVD player and is powered by four double A batteries.

Once the unit is connected and activated, after several seconds of passing through many license screens, the main menu will appear. The games can be cycled through by moving the joystick left and right, then a game can be chosen to play by pressing button A (there is also a button B with this unit, which is only used for Xevious and Pole Position).

There is also a menu button to the left of the on/off switch on the front base of the unit (which is made to look like a coin slot for an arcade machine) which also acts as a pause button during gameplay, giving you the option to quit the game you are playing, and pressing it while on the menu screen will give you the option of erasing the high scores. High scores will retain even once the batteries have been changed.

Games

Bosconian
The player controls the Star Destroyer Bosconian ship flying through space that must destroy a series of space stations in order to advance to the next level. The stations can either be destroyed with a shot up their middle or by having all of their cannons destroyed.

In between dealing with the stations are smaller ships and various debris scattered around; colliding or being shot by anything will result in the player losing a reserve ship. The game ends when there are no more reserve ships left, although extra ships are awarded at 10,000, 50,000, and every 50,000 thereafter.

There are also bonuses awarded for spy ships and entire ship squadrons being destroyed. However, take too long during a wave and "Condition Red" will occur, with tons of smaller craft descending on the player's ship.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves space ship (four directions mostly—up, down, left, right)
 * Button A: fire

Differences from the arcade original


 * This Jakks unit has a four way joystick; the original game used an eight way. Diagonals are possible, but hard to do on this game.


 * The player's shot will be steered after they fire it; i. e. after shooting at something and they move their ship left, the shot will curve to the left. The shots were not steerable on the arcade original. Other than that, the game plays identical to the original.

Dig Dug
Dig Dug must clear each screen of enemies by blowing them up with his pump. Rocks can also be dropped on his enemies as well. However, if a rock falls on Dig Dug or a monster catches him, then a life is lost (plus one of the enemies can also kill him by breathing fire on him), and the game ends when there are no remaining lives. However, an extra life is awarded at 10,000 points, plus a bonus prize will appear at the center of the screen if two rocks are dropped during a level.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves Dig Dug (four directions)
 * Button A: dig

Differences

The screen is large and will scroll a little; the entire screen cannot be seen all at once. The player will have to move up or down a little in order to see what is going on at the top or bottom of the screen. Other than that, it plays identical to the arcade original.

Galaga
In Galaxian, the player controls a ship at the bottom of the screen facing formations of aliens. Aliens will peel off from the formation and dive bomb the player; if an alien isn't shot, doesn't shoot or collides with the player's ship, then the alien will reappear at the top of the formation again. Being rammed by an alien or getting hit by one of its bombs will result in the player losing a reserve ship and the game will end if all ships are depleted.

All aliens are worth twice as much during an attack run than when sitting in the convoy. There is also a flagship that is worth more than the aliens and usually has escort ships flying with it during an attack run.

In this sequel though, not only are the graphics changed, but the flagship will, at times, emit a tractor beam that will capture the player's ship and fly back to the formation with it. If this happens and the player is able to free the ship by shooting it's captor during a bombing run, then the captured ship will join the player's ship at the bottom of the screen, which will double the player's firepower. If a ship is captured when the player has no more reserve ships then the game ends.

There are also bonus rounds where none of the aliens shoot and a bonus is awarded for how many aliens are destroyed.

Extra ships are awarded at 20,000, 70,000 points, and every 70,000 points afterwards.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves ship left and right
 * Button A: fire

The game plays identically to the original.

Galaxian
The player controls a ship at the bottom of the screen facing formations of aliens. Aliens will peel off from the formation and dive bomb the player; if an alien isn't shot, doesn't shoot or collides with the player's ship, then the alien will reappear at the top of the formation again. Being rammed by an alien or getting hit by one of its bombs will result in the player losing a reserve ship and the game will end if all ships are depleted. An extra ship is awarded at 7000 points though.

All aliens are worth twice as much during an attack run than when sitting in the convoy. There is also a flagship that is worth more than the aliens and usually has escort ships flying with it during an attack run.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves ship left and right
 * Button A: fire

Differences


 * The flagships' behavior was changed; after the first level, for some reason they will stay at the top of the screen for a long time and almost never do an attack run.


 * The purple aliens' behavior was changed; a lot of the time they will not do a severe "sweep" from side to side when they attack. Other than that, this game plays pretty much like the arcade original.

Mappy
In this platformer/action game, the player controls a "micro police" mouse that must confiscate a bunch of stolen property from a gang of cats. The mouse can access various levels by jumping on trampolines to scoop up the merchandise. Colliding with any of the cats will result in the player losing a life (although the mouse can pass through the cats unharmed while in mid-air), along with falling too far or falling through the floor when a trampoline breaks will also cost the player a life. Extra lives are awarded at 20,000 and 70,000 points.

The mouse can employ doors to stun the cats with by opening them, along with microwaves which will release a wave that will carry the cats off the screen, although the cats will reappear after several seconds. In later rounds, bells can be dropped on cats to stun them and sections of floors will disappear so the cats can fall through them to the floors below, although those can trap the mouse as well.

There are bonus waves after every several levels where the player tries to pop as many balloons as possible before the timer runs out. There are no cats pursuing the mouse during these levels.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves Mappy left and right
 * Button A: activate doors

The game plays identically to the arcade original.

New Rally-X
The player controls a car that must make its way through a big scrolling maze to collect all the flags in the level to advance to the next one. A special flag (marked with an 'S') will cause all flags that are collected after it to be worth twice as many points, and the lucky flag (marked with an 'L') gives a bonus for remaining fuel, plus a fuel bonus is granted at the end of each completed level.

A radar in the bottom corner marks the positions of the flags and enemy cars that pursue the player; colliding with any cars or rocks scattered throughout the level will cause the player to lose a reserve car, along with running out of fuel. The game will end when there are no more reserve cars left, but an extra car is granted at 20,000 and 80,000 points. The player can employ smokescreens to confuse and stall the crash cars, but they take up some fuel whenever they are used.

There are also bonus rounds where the crash cars don't move and the player just goes around collecting flags.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves car (four directions)
 * Button A: smokescreen

Pac & Pal
Straying a bit from the Pac-Man formula, Pac-Man once again (like in the previous release of Super Pac-Man) does not eat dots in this game to advance to the next level and also must eat keys in order to unlock parts of the maze so he can eat objects and food.

Four monsters, as per usual, will chase Pac-Man, and contact with any of them is fatal, and the game is over when there are no more lives in reserve. Also straying even further with the Pac-Man formula, there are no power energizers that will enable Pac-Man to eat the monsters with. However, there are special icons that, when activated, will disable the monsters' pursuit for several seconds. Also the escape tunnel is below the monster pen.

Finally, there is a fifth monster in this version; however, the "pal" steals items and puts them in the monster pen, which they will disappear forever if Pac-Man does not eat them before the pal gets there. The pal is not fatal to the touch and Pac-Man can just go right through him without incident. A bonus is awarded for the number of items Pac-Man eats that the pal does not take to the monster pen when a level is completed.

There are also bonus rounds where Pac-Man must turn over all cards possible on the screen for maximum bonus points. Finding the pal will double the player's score, but finding the red monster will end the round.

Extra lives are awarded at 20,000, 70,000, and every 70,000 points thereafter.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves Pac-Man (four directions)
 * Button A: activate special icon

Pac-Man
The player controls Pac-Man, who must eat all of the dots in a maze in order to make it to the next level. Four monsters chase him; being caught by one will cost the player a life and the game is over when all lives are lost. However, Pac-Man can turn the tables on the monsters by eating an energizer, which Pac-Man will then be able to eat the monsters for a few seconds. An extra life is awarded at 10,000 points.

There is a tunnel at the center sides of the screen that Pac-Man can use to escape from the monsters (who will hesitate if they enter the tunnel). Also, a bonus prize will appear twice during a level and is worth big points.

Controls

Joystick: moves Pac-Man (four directions)

The game plays identically to the arcade original.

Pac-Man Plus
This plays the same as the original Pac-Man, but with several twists.

The game runs faster, has different prizes from the original, and sometimes not all of the monsters will turn blue when an energizer is eaten. Sometimes the maze will turn invisible after an energizer is eaten as well. The bonus prize also acts as an energizer, and the monsters will turn invisible after being eaten, but the monsters' point values are worth twice as much if they were eaten after consuming an energizer.

Controls

Joystick: moves Pac-Man (four directions)

The game plays identically to the arcade original.

Pole Position
It is the player's job to make it back to the starting line before running out of time. The player must qualify first, which the first round has 120 time units on the clock to make it back to the starting line; meanwhile billboard signs on the side of the road and other cars must be avoided. If the player crashes into something then it will be several seconds before their replacement car can start where the player left off. The more time that is left at the end of the qualifying race the better the person's pole position (starting placement) will be for the main race.

Then in the second race, there are only 75 time units in order to make it back to the starting line, but 50 time units are added to the clock for each lap completed. The game will end if the player either runs out of time or makes it through all four laps in time.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves car (left and right, twist joystick)
 * Button A: accelerate
 * Button B: change gears

Differences

This is the Namco version, meaning only Namco games appear on the billboards on the side of the road (the Atari-distributed version that was released in America had Atari games on the billboards).

The game plays identically to the arcade original.

Super Pac-Man
Again straying from the Pac-Man formula, once more there are no dots to be eaten this time around, like with Pac &amp; Pal. Instead, Pac-Man eats apples, doughnuts, clovers, etc., as well as keys to unlock areas of the maze so he can eat anything.

Again the four monsters chase him, and Pac-Man will lose a life if touched by a monster, although a bonus life is awarded at 30,000 and 100,000 points. Pac-Man can turn the tables by eating one of four power energizers, which will enable him to eat the monsters for several seconds as usual, but there are also two super energizers included this time around that makes Pac-Man not only invincible, but he can also break through areas of the maze without a key and move at super speed.

There is also an area in between the super energizers that acts as a bonus prize, and after every several levels is a bonus round where Pac-Man can eat to his heart's content as Super Pac-Man, without any monsters in pursuit. A bonus is awarded if there is any time remaining at the end of the round.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves Pac-Man (four directions)
 * Button A: speed (during Super Pac-Man transformation only)

Differences

There is a glitch at the end of a bonus round when the bonus points are being tallied, which, once the bonus points are awarded, the end of level musical piece will play, then the sound effect of one last bonus point being tallied can be heard again.

Other than that, the game plays exactly like the original, as patterns used for the original will still work for it.

Xevious
The player flies over a scrolling landscape and must either shoot or bomb targets. Some targets are in the air and can be shot with the player's guns while others are ground targets and can only be bombed.

Getting shot or rammed by an enemy will cost the player a reserve ship and the game ends when there are no reserve ships left. However, an extra ship is awarded at 20,000 points.

Controls


 * Joystick: moves ship (four directions only)
 * Button A: fire
 * Button B: bombs

Differences


 * The opening music is off-key.
 * The hexagon-shaped tanks that can only be bombed have been removed from the game.
 * Diagonals have been taken out of the game, which makes it much more difficult.

Trivia

 * This originally came in a sealed plastic container, then was redesigned into what resembles a lunch box (see photo).
 * The manufacturer recommends that rechargeable batteries are not used for this unit, as well as removing batteries if the unit is not used for a week or longer.
 * Jakks Pacific has released many previous similar units with Namco games on them—the Super Pac-Man unit, the Ms. Pac-Man unit, Arcade Gold Featuring Pac-Man, etc. -- but this one is their best to date, as sounds, graphics and games were not like the arcade originals on several of the previous units, high scores could be erased with every time the unit was turned off and/or the batteries had to be changed, and this one has more games than any of their other units as well.
 * There's also a Retro Arcade Featuring Space Invaders plug-n-play game made by the same manufacturer, using the Retro Arcade name and the same joystick shell with 10 Taito games built in.

Links

 * Official page

Stage Select review (8/10)