Decent because that's all it is, a simple port yet a perfect port. Pac-Man for the Neo Geo Pocket Color is still as fun as it was when it was originally released in the arcades back in the early 80's. It would've been nice to get some new additions to the game or even include Ms. Pac-Man, but sometimes you have to take what you can get.
Gameplay & Control & Replay Value The main gameplay of Pac-Man is unchanged and exactly like the arcade game where you still have to gobble up all the pellets on the board to move on, avoid the ghosts and take them out when they're blue, and eat the fruit. However you have two ways of playing: Scroll and Full Screen. Scroll is a close up view on Pac-Man and tighter on the board so that the camera moves as Pac-Man moves to keep him in the shot. Full screen is like the arcade view where the entire board is seen the entire time.
Control is where things get a little sketchy. In theory the analog stick should work great for Pac-Man because it's designed like an arcade stick, much like how it works so well for fighters on the Neo Geo Pocket Color but that is not the case here. The analog stick is kind of cumbersome in navigating where to go. Often times you'll find yourself taking a wrong turn or not turning at all, leading to an unfortunate encounter with a ghost. There is a way to fix this problem, however, using the directional ring that was included with the release of Crush Roller, a Pac-Man rip-off/wannabe. This works perfectly and let's you control Pac-Man just like in the arcade.
The fact that this game is a direct port of the arcade game means that since nothing new was added, there isn't much more to do. It would've been nice to see more included, maybe even a two player vs. mode to get the highest score, but since nothing was added, there isn't much replay value unless you're a huge Pac-Man fan.
Graphics & Sound Since this is a perfect arcade port, the graphics and sound are intact. They are just like the original, black background, yellow pellets and the signature ghosts. The music are your classic Pac-Man tunes. This is very nice to see, as both were horribly screwed up in the Atari port back in the 80's.
Bottom line is that if you want a perfect arcade port of Pac-Man on the go, this is your game. If you're looking for something new or something other than just a straight port, move along.
