Pesco is the second release from programmer, Eric Bacher. Like his first game Alfred Challenge it was first introduced as a limited edition at the annual collectors show in Las Vegas; in this case Classic Gaming Expo 1999.

Pesco is another in a long series of Pac-Man clones. This one is a new game and not a pirate. It was created with the intention of building a better Pac-Man. The maze itself is also fresh. At least I don't recognize it from any other layouts I have seen. This time Pac-man is a fish, who moves through a maze gobbling up plankton pellets. It looks and feels and arcade-like. My compliments to the chef.

Each screen has a bonus item which can be picked up for extra points. Instead of various types of fruit; in keeping with the theme, the bonus is a form of marine life (eg. coral, clam shell). There are a total of 9 progressively harder levels. You have only 4 lives to lose. There are no bonus lives.

This is one of the more difficult interpretations of Pac-Man. There are only two side escape tunnels and unfortunately they are on the bottom of the screen. Instead of ghosts hunting you down, there are killer crabs which enter through the center. There is very little flicker. This is a vast improvement. The black background makes everything stand out crisply and sharply. The only fault I have with this game is that the killer crabs are way too fast and you move like a snail. In the later rounds it seems that they are on amphetamines or steroids. Even the flashing power pills don¹t help much, they wear off quickly as you progress. All this makes for a rough time instead of a fun outing. Don¹t get me wrong, I enjoy a good challenge as much as anybody else. But, these guys are not only fast, they are a little too smart for their own good and zero in on you rather quickly. I was able to complete only 4 screens. It will take me a lot of trial and error before I can find suitable patterns. As a matter of fact, if you can finish the the 9th screen, you have a shot at winning a free game by being able to answer questions which are found at Eric's website, http://www.ebivision.com .

The game comes attractively packaged and the instructions even have the obligatory game scenario provided. This one is about a young fish striking out on its own. The game is written in NTSC format and might work in PAL.

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