PAC-MAN

App review by Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media
PAC-MAN Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 7+

Slick recreation of the classic game with live chat option.

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire Arcade Games
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 5 reviews

Kids say

age 5+

Based on 13 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this mobile-app adaptation of the classic PAC-MAN arcade game is very faithful to the original. Players using an iOS device can share high scores via the Game Center social network, but participation is optional.

Community Reviews

swilson2777
swilson2777 Adult
November 29, 2021
age 16+

Pac-Man once in a generation game

The perfect balance of retro and classic of early game days. The high pixelated graphics gives a perfect feeling of what classic arcade games are about. Getting the highest score possible was always a challenge but one I always got. Having more features that would make the game challenging such as predictability of the ghosts and changing of the elements of the map.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
masonjohnson2109
masonjohnson2109 Adult
November 29, 2021
age 15+

The best game in a generation

An old classic that few remember going to the arcade to play and compete to beat each other's high score. The simplicity of the game was always getting down the patterns of the game. Having an element of greater difficulty would give it a greater challenge.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

First, choose from one of three control schemes (tilting the device, using an on-screen joystick, or swiping). Then start moving the little yellow Pac-Man around the maze, gobbling up dots and fruit and avoiding or eating ghosts and earning points. For all intents and purposes, the game on this app plays the same as the PAC-MAN that many parents will remember from the early days of video games, with a few additional options and no real-life joystick.

Is It Any Good?

If you're longing for the good ol' days of storefront arcades, or if you want to introduce your kids to the kind of old-school digital entertainment you grew up on, this mobile version of PAC-MAN is the way to go. It plays exactly like the original, but manages to look better (thanks to 35 years of graphic improvements). It's possible that the game might seem repetitive or overly simple to today's kids, but the appeal of the ghost-eating challenge that made it a hit way back when still stands out.

App Details

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