Achieved at : 2025-11-22
Rank : 1
(world record)
Lups : t.b.d.
Approved :
No
Vote progress : 20%
| General Rules: |
Play with default settings unless otherwise specified. No use of trainers, cheats, saved game files, auto-fire (when not default present in-game), emulator save states, or other emulator advantages. No use of code modifications that give the player an advantage over other players. 1 player only. No continues. Due to the unusual placement of some keys on the Acorn Atom keyboard, it is acceptable to redefine the keys used under emulation. It is discouraged and may lead to voters not accepting your score to - excessively point farm - use glitches or other game exploits |
| Specific Rules: | Play the game in 1 player mode selecting Skill 3 at the beginning. |
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TGP
Atom Man is a Pac-man clone for the Acorn Atom. It was written by Paul Shave and released through his own software house, Hopesoft in 1982. A review appears in the July 1982 issue of Computer and Video Games, which I thought I would mention as evidence of this, as there is little information about this game online.
This is a good Pac-man clone for the Atom, especially for 1982. The maze is a good size and makes a fair representation of the original games maze, just rotated through 90 degrees. Pac himself is Pac-man shaped, though he is not animated. The ghosts look the part and their eyes move to look in the direction they are going. This sort of fine detail could have been easily left out of the game considering the year and the Atom's hardware, so well done to the programmer for including it. There are no fruits to collect, but a HopeSoft logo does the same job and appears in the expected place, next to the ghost's den on the far side from the den entrance. Every time you eat the Hopesoft logo, it's value increases ready for the next time - the current value appears at the bottom right of the screen. If you eat a ghost after eating a power pill, they head back to the den to regenerate - just a pair of disembodied eyes that are harmless.
Gameplay is very smooth which is pleasing to see. Navigating the maze is easy enough and the escape tunnels are useful. Skill level 1 is a bit easy, but there are two more skill levels if you need more of a challenge. There is quite a big jump in difficulty from Skill 1 to Skill 2 though so be warned! I'm genuinely quite impressed by this Atom Pac-man game considering the time it was released and the hardware it was running on. The maze walls could have been a touch better, maybe with some rounded edges and more prize designs would also have been good. But you have to consider the game runs in 12K and space was at a premium. The other thing I was not so keen on was that when the game ends it immediately cuts to another screen - good luck noticing what your score was!
The game is being played on the 22nd November 2025. The emulator used is Atomulator, running on PC. Skill level 3 was selected (hardest difficulty) and the final score was 4,500 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Entering skill level, 3 selected.
00:36 Game start.
00:59 First life lost.
01:14 Second life lost.
01:58 Third life lost. Game Over. Final score 4,500 points.
This is a good Pac-man clone for the Atom, especially for 1982. The maze is a good size and makes a fair representation of the original games maze, just rotated through 90 degrees. Pac himself is Pac-man shaped, though he is not animated. The ghosts look the part and their eyes move to look in the direction they are going. This sort of fine detail could have been easily left out of the game considering the year and the Atom's hardware, so well done to the programmer for including it. There are no fruits to collect, but a HopeSoft logo does the same job and appears in the expected place, next to the ghost's den on the far side from the den entrance. Every time you eat the Hopesoft logo, it's value increases ready for the next time - the current value appears at the bottom right of the screen. If you eat a ghost after eating a power pill, they head back to the den to regenerate - just a pair of disembodied eyes that are harmless.
Gameplay is very smooth which is pleasing to see. Navigating the maze is easy enough and the escape tunnels are useful. Skill level 1 is a bit easy, but there are two more skill levels if you need more of a challenge. There is quite a big jump in difficulty from Skill 1 to Skill 2 though so be warned! I'm genuinely quite impressed by this Atom Pac-man game considering the time it was released and the hardware it was running on. The maze walls could have been a touch better, maybe with some rounded edges and more prize designs would also have been good. But you have to consider the game runs in 12K and space was at a premium. The other thing I was not so keen on was that when the game ends it immediately cuts to another screen - good luck noticing what your score was!
The game is being played on the 22nd November 2025. The emulator used is Atomulator, running on PC. Skill level 3 was selected (hardest difficulty) and the final score was 4,500 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Entering skill level, 3 selected.
00:36 Game start.
00:59 First life lost.
01:14 Second life lost.
01:58 Third life lost. Game Over. Final score 4,500 points.