Genre: Maze chase
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari
Year: 1983
System: Atari 8-bit
Ms. Pac-Man is a maze chase game developed by General Computer Corporation (GCC) and Midway Manufacturing Co., and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 8-bit family of computers in 1983. It is a home conversion of the 1982 arcade game, which was itself a licensed sequel to Namco’s Pac-Man.
In Ms. Pac-Man, the player controls the titular character as she navigates through multiple mazes, consuming dots while avoiding four colorful ghosts. The game introduces enhancements over its predecessor, including improved ghost AI, several maze layouts, and intermission cutscenes. Power pellets located in the corners of the maze allow Ms. Pac-Man to temporarily turn the tables on the ghosts by making them vulnerable and edible.
The Atari 8-bit version provides a faithful adaptation of the arcade original, with some graphical simplifications to accommodate the home computer platform. It supports both single-player and two-player alternating modes and was released on cartridge for Atari 400/800 series computers.
Ms. Pac-Man was well received for its engaging gameplay and remains a notable title in the Atari 8-bit software library.
