Genre: Maze chase
Developer: Roklan
Publisher: Atari
Year: 1982
System: Atari 8-bit
Pac-Man is a maze chase game developed by Roklan and published by Atari, Inc. in 1982 for the Atari 8-bit family of computers. It is a home conversion of Namco’s arcade classic, first released in 1980. The player controls Pac-Man, a yellow, circular character who must eat all the dots in a maze while avoiding pursuit by four ghosts.
The gameplay follows the original arcade format closely. The maze contains four large energizers in the corners; when consumed, these allow Pac-Man to temporarily eat the ghosts. Each ghost has distinct movement patterns, and they regenerate in the maze center after being eaten. Points are awarded for eating dots, ghosts, and bonus fruit that occasionally appears near the center of the maze.
Pac-Man for the Atari 8-bit computers was programmed in machine language by Joe Hellesen. It is considered one of the more accurate home ports of the game from the early 1980s and contributed to the title’s popularity beyond the arcades.
