Lady Bug

Also known as: Coccinelle (Bootleg)

Developer: Universal

When it comes to Pac-Man-inpired games, Lady Bug may have been the best of the bunch. The goal of Lady Bug is to traverse a maze, eating all flowers, hearts, and letters that you can find, while also avoiding the other bugs and insects in the level. In the first eight stages of the game, you'll only be up against one type of bug, but once you hit stage nine, you'll have a variety of creepy crawly critters to try to avoid. Each stage also has pesticides (in the form of skulls) that you want to avoid. If you pick it up, you're a deceased bug…but, thankfully, the same is true for the enemy bugs navigating the maze with you. The other big aspect of the game, that sets it apart from Pac-Man and makes it its own game, is the ability to alter the maze as you navigate it. Various parts of the maze have gates, and as you pass the gate, it will rotate 90 degrees in whatever direction that you moved in. This can block enemy paths, preventing them from reaching you, and once you get the hang of everything, you can also use the revolving gates to act as a shepherd, herding an enemy insect into the pesticide, so it's one less creepy crawler that you'll have to worry about. The end result is a colorful, charming, and very fun game that manages to almost be as good as the game that inspired it. And honestly, in some ways, it surpasses Namco's yellow ghost gobbler, especially for players looking for a little more strategy in a pellet-eating maze game. Unfortunately, though, Lady Bug wasn't as successful as it should have been at the arcades, given its quality. I'm not sure if that's because of the stereotype of video games being "for boys," and Lady Bug not looking like a very macho game, but regardless, it only saw so-so success in arcade form. It wasn't really until Lady Bug got ported to the Colecovision a year later that it got the praise it deserved, becoming a must-buy game for Coleco's new home console, and quickly being recognized as one of the most successful home video games ever released up to that point. Still, though, if you want to play a maze game at the arcades, despite its lack of success there, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better alternative to Pac-Man than Lady Bug.

Review added: 04/07/2026

Lock 'n' Chase

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Data East

In Lock 'n' Chase, you take the role of a thief, Lupin, and your goal is to navigate a maze, while avoiding the four Super Detectives (Smarty, Scaredy, Silly, and Stiffy) who constantly pursue poor ol' Lupin. Once you start to play, or even take a peek at a screenshots, it instantly looks familiar - Lock 'n' Chase was one of the stand-out Pac-Man clones of the time. The game plays nearly identically to Pac-Man with the main differences being that some parts of the maze open and close, allowing you to sometimes squeeze in a closing path just in time for the Super Detectives to get let behind, forcing them to try to find another path towards you, as well as the ability to block a path behind you on other occasions, preventing your pursuers from following as you continue on your path to pick up coins, money bags, and various items in each stage. Also unlike in Pac-Man, when you've picked up everything on a stage, it's still not over. You then need to hit either the exit at the top or the bottom of the screen to make a successful escape with all of your cash. Another difference is that you're not a cannibal thief - so unlike the ghosts in Pac-Man, there is no power-up to allow you to eat any of the police in this game. It is worth noting that while they aren't edible, it is said that if you shine a bright enough of a light on the Super D's, you may catch a faint hint of bacon wafting through the air. Anyway, while this game lacks a way to remove the police from the maze you allow you some relief, if you pick up the money bag that sometimes appears in the center of the maze, the Super Detectives will be so mortified that you managed to grab that much cash that they will be immobile for a few seconds, allowing you to get some more distance between ol' Lupin and the D's. Overall, Lock 'n' Chase is one of the more memorable and well-made Pac-Man clones of the time. While it doesn't quite rival Pac-Man in any way, it's still a decent little time killer if you enjoy Pac-Man, but want to play something slightly different.

Review added: 04/07/2026

Lunar Lander

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Atari

Lunar Lander wasn't the first game of its kind…Moonlander was released in 1973…but I don't think more games of its kind were cloned or copied more than this game was. Your goal sounds simple and easy - land on the moon's surface. This game is anything but easy, though. Basically, you control a lunar landing module and you can rotate this module and burn fuel (that you receive by inserting coins) to fire a thruster. The goal is to land on the surface on the moon as flatly and gently as possible. Failure to do so will result in a crash and likely a loss in fuel. If you're able to pull off a safe landing, though, you'll be given some fuel as a reward and given points based on how difficult the terrain is, which is signified by the multipliers at the bottom of the screen. There are no enemies in Lunar Lander, and there is no time limit…it's simply a game based purely on your landing skills. It's not a particularly exciting game to play or watch, but it does leave you feeling like you've accomplished something when you finally pull off a successful landing in a 5x area, after crashing a dozen times prior. Lunar Lander isn't for everyone, but if you want a relaxing arcade game, then Lunar Lander may be the game for you.

Review added: 11/13/2025