The gameplay is a good mix of platformer standards designed to take advantage of the Pac-Man's new talents. There was a lot of straight combat, but there were occasions when if I wasn't good at timing jumps or able to go from one move into another, I was in trouble. Simply relying on your fists or butt to get you through each level won't cut it. Sadly, the camera isn't your ally a lot of the time. Just as in the last game, I found certain challenges to be greater solely due to an unfriendly camera viewpoint.

When you're not traipsing through the netherworld, you'll be able to put your thumbs to work on some old-school 2D and 3D Pac-Man mazes. In my preview, I had access to a dozen and a half different maze levels. It was unclear how these would fit into the framework of the game (in Pac-Man World 2, the older games could be unlocked and then played in a central "arcade" level), but according to the folks at Namco, success in the maze levels would earn you bonuses that would help you make your way through the game's storyline.

Where I was disappointed in the game was in the lack of any multiplay. Pac-Man Fever, which shipped roughly the same time as Pac-Man World 2, delivered some decent party-style play. With no other Pac-Man title on the horizon, it's a shame that some sort of multiplay wasn't included.


Gamers looking for traditional, sunshiny platformer fare may be surprised when Pac-Man World 3 hits the shelves in November. It's a tad darker than most of the games we're used to doing our jumping, fighting, and doodad collecting in. Then again, this might just be a sign of maturity. At 25, Pac-Man may finally be ready to make the butt-bounce over to games geared to a more adult audience. If so, one word of advice: pants.