Pac-Man Game Watch refers to a series of digital watches featuring built-in Pac-Man LCD games. The watches were developed in 1982 by an unknown Hong Kong company, and were released in several countries by numerous publishers; the most well known being the U.S. distributor Nelsonic. The line is connected to the "Game & Time" Pac-Man system, with both products originating from the same developer.
Overview[]
The Pac-Man Game Watch features a built-in digital clock with alarm functionality. Two variants of the system were produced (possibly by different manufacturers), each of which greatly differs in design and game code. Earlier variants of the system are controlled using four directional buttons, while later releases feature a small joystick.
The origins of the Pac-Man Game Watches, alongside the Game & Time systems, are largely unclear. The outer packaging, as well as the watches themselves, feature branded labels of the respective publisher, which vary depending on the unit. The Pac-Man branding may have been commissioned by Nelsonic/M.Z. Berger originally.
Model 1[]
What appears to be an earlier model features four directional buttons as the game's controls. The alarm music on this model is a rendition of "Dixie".
The game itself a direct clone of the Pac-Man Tomy LSI Game handheld from 1981, featuring nearly identical mechanics and graphics. It is unknown if Tomy was involved with the development of this port (though they were connected to the second variant). The score tally maxes out at 1,999 points; upon reaching the maximum score, the game plays a rendition of "Thine Be the Glory".[1]
A generic-branded version of this watch was produced titled Chompers, which changes Pac-Man into a fish who is chased by squids.[2] This variant was also published by Nelsonic, albeit in limited quantities compared to Pac-Man.
Model 2[]
What appears to be a later model features a joystick controller; it comes with four joystick tops that are color-coded to match the ghosts (i.e. red, pink, blue, and orange). Some versions of this model use a Tadashi Yamashita-like Pac-Man design, while others use the "red-eyed" Bally Midway design.
This watch is effectively a rebranded version of Tomy Watchman: Monster Hero, a Pac-Man clone released by Tomy in 1982. The graphics are altered to feature closer resemblance to Pac-Man; though all other functionality and gameplay aspects are intact. It features two gameplay modes: "Game A" is similar to the original Pac-Man arcade game, while in "Game B", the maze walls randomly change position.
Known publishers[]
The following publishers are confirmed to have released Pac-Man Game Watches:
- Nelsonic (M.Z. Berger) - distributed revisions 1 and 2 in the United States.
- Halion - distributed revision 1; region of distribution undetermined.
- Omni - distributed revision 1; region of distribution undetermined. Only known to have released the Chompers variant.
- Trafalgar - distributed revision 1; region of distribution undetermined.
- Waltham - distributed revision 2; region of distribution undetermined.
Trivia[]
- The unknown company behind the Pac-Man Game Watches (and the "Game & Time" system) would also release adaptions of Frogger, Q*bert, and BurgerTime, in both handheld and watch formats. An unlicensed Donkey Kong clone was also produced titled Jungle Kong.
- Most games have additional generic/unbranded variants, likely intended for markets/publishers that could not obtain the rights to the licenses. Frogger and Q*bert's generic equivalents are Honky Ponky and Clown, respectively.
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