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3-D Ghostmania
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Home / Software - 3-D Ghostmania
3-D Ghostmania
3-D Ghostmania is a 3 dimensional version of Pacman...sort of. A major
difference is that in order to kill a ghost, you must be physically standing
on one of the power pellets, and let the ghosts run into you. When a ghost first sees
you, it will start chasing you, and increasing it's point score (up to 255) while chasing you. You get
as many points as it has accumulated when it runs into you standing on a pellet. Each pellet also
has a count of how many ghost-killing charges it has left, starting at 3.
It also re-generates the maze each time you play, based on a sequence of 11 digits that
you can define at the bottom of the screen. It also features a
demo mode, and a mode where you can just wander the maze without ghosts.
The publisher's of this game had something unique when you bought it: a monthly publication called
The Challenge List, which listed high scores and competition events. When you bought the game, you
got a free 6 month subscription. I have no idea how long this lasted, though.
Instructions:
(spacebar) - move forward
q - quit game
h - view map (any other key to exit view)
b - turn backwards
, - turn left
. - turn right
Title: 3-D Ghostmania
Author: Randy S. Johnson
Publisher: Educational Arcade Systems
Released: 1982
Requires: Color Computer 1,2,3, 16K RAM, tape or disk.
Review:
Puts You In This Fascinating Game
On no! Not another Pac-Man game. It sure seems that the Color Computer has been bombarded with enough Pac-Man games, but this is one of the more original ones.
This game has you in the game itself, not looking down, but in it, moving through walled corridors. Ghostmania is slightly different from the arcade version. First, there are no pellets to eat, and instead of energizers there are blue squares. While going through the maze the ghosts (there are about 30 of them) do not move until they see you, then they move at you. They gain points, which are displayed in the upper left hand corner, as they move, up to 255 points. You then run, if you have the chance, to a place where one of the blue squares is under you. The computer then displays how many more charges the pill has left, one to three. There you wait until the ghost rounds a corner and runs into you. You then get how many points he accumulated and one POSITIVE ENCOUNTER. The ghost is then eliminated. If you run into a ghost without being on a blue square you get a NEGATIVE ENCOUNTER, and the ghost disappeai-s. After nine negative encounters the game ends. After a set number of positive encounters, determined by the level, you get a bonus game. The game has the fortunate option of stopping the action and looking down upon the maze, showing the ghosts, blue squares, you and the direction you are facing.
The game can be played for practice without ghosts or have the computer play. There are three skill levels, Beginner, Intermediate, and Competition. There are 10 speed options.
The maze is player designed. There is an 1 1-digit number displayed at the bottom before the game. The digits determine where passageways start and end and where turns go. For example, 99999999999 would be the easiest maze while 33333333333 would be the hardest. Three is recommended by the manual, as you would most likely be confined in a small area and unable to get to some places.
The graphics I must say are the best I have seen in a game of this sort. Fast machine code produces blue sky, green hallways, an orange floor and very believable white ghosts with blue eyes in a real-time environment. (For any of you Chromasette subscribers out there who have the game Amazing, the graphics are similar.) The program is written in machine language, and, as such, is very fast. If you buy the program, buy it for the graphics.
The game even has a monthly publication called the Challenge List of high scores and competition events. You receive a six-month subscription free when you mail in your registration form.
The 1 1-page manual is very good. It goes over every detail of the game. No joy sticks are required for this game and only 16K. According to the manual, the disk version requires 32K and two disk drives. A game that requires two disk drives must really be something! The cassette version is well worth the price.
(Educational Arcade Systems, 5350 So. 3600W., Salt Lake City, UT 84118, $29.95 for cassette)
—Jeff White
3-D Ghostmania Try to outwit pursuing ghosts in a three-dimensional maze of hallways. 3-D Ghostmania, a game of strategy, memory, and motor skill, is written for machines with 16K. It includes 30 skill levels, high resolution graphics, and easy commands and Instructions. No joysticks are required. The price is $29.95 from Educational Arcade Systems, 5350 South 3600 W., Salt Lake City, UT 84118, 801-969-4139. Reader Service 551