The classic PacMan handheld game
Anyone who has read my blog before knows I am a big fan of retro handheld games, and Munchman from Grandstand was a great example. Many of these games attempted to recreate the big arcade games of the time, which explains the proliferation of space invader clones, including the likes of Galaxy Invader and Astro Wars. The Space Invaders game format translated relatively well to the VFD handheld games, due to the relatively simplistic graphics, and that fact that the invaders and the player character didn’t occupy the same space on the game screen.
When it comes to replicating a maze game, and of course we are talking about Pac Man, the graphical challenge is much greater using a VFD screen. As well as having to create a realistic looking maze, you also have a playfield that requires the player character, the enemy ghosts and also the pac pills to be represented in the maze at the same time. Grandstand managed to achieve this with the classic Munchman, delivering a great Pac Man clone that stays true to original despite the limitations of the format.
Grandstand Munchman Design
The game itself is large and round, like a dinner plate, in a bright shiny yellow, a clear reference to its Pac Man heritage. Munchman used 4 directional buttons instead of a joystick to control the player character, which would have stood out against the smooth surface of the game. The only other switches are the on / off switch, and a difficulty selector that dicates the speed of the chasing ghosts.
Munchman Gameplay
The gameplay is as you would expect, albeit with a smaller maze and fewer ghosts, with the objective being to clear the maze of pills before being caught by the chasing spooks. Eating a red power pill would make the ghosts flash, and allow you to eat them for bonus points.
The one thing that does however stand put about the gameplay is that your Munchman always faces to the left, regardless of which direction he is travelling, and can only eat going left, resulting in some back tracking needed to eat all the pills. Helpfully there is still a short cut, or rather 2 shortcuts, so you can continuously travel right to left and reappear on the other side of the maze. To accompany the gampelay there is a great soundtrack, typically loud as all Grandstand games tended to be, with jaunty intro tunes and in game effects.
Munchman Versions
Whilst Grandstand’s version of Munchman is perhaps the most well known, certainly in the UK, it was actually a licence of the Tomy PacMan game. There was also a Japanese version from Tomy called Puck Man, in line with the name of the original arcade version in that territory.
In a clever piece of brand engineering, the only difference between the 3 versions appears to be the sticker above the screen with the name of the game, and the packaging.
Mini Munchman
Much like the Grandstand Scramble handheld, Munchman also had a smaller LCD based sister, predictably titled Mini Munchman, which aped the yellow case if not the classic round shape. Despite the similar colour and naming convention, this was not a Tomy designed game, but a licence of the game “Epoch Man” by Japanese manufacturer Epoch.
Mini Munchman used an LCD screen rather than a VFD, which was much less power hungry and could be run using 2 watch batteries. Unlike the full-size Munchman, the game screen featured a novel mechanic to get around the lack of real estate, by using “bridges” to provide alternative routes around the screen and evade the ghosts.
The game also featured a secondary clock and timer functions, much like Nintendos Game & Watch series.
Other Handheld PacMan alternatives
The popularity of Namco’s PacMan arcade game resulted in a number of handheld versions being produced, with Munchman being one of the most popular. Here are a few alternatives you might want to consider if you are looking for some handheld PavMan action:
CGL Puck Monster
Puck Monster was released by CGL (Computer Games Limited) who also introduced the Sord M5 home computers to the UK. Puck Monster was a VFD game originally released in Japan by prolific handheld manufacturer Gakken.
The game featured a detailed vertical playfield much more in keeping with the arcade PacMan, including tunnels to the left and right, and was controlled by a joystick rather than buttons. The joystick did however prove to be the game’s Achilles heel, and would often break with rigorous use. Check the joystick still works if buying one today.
Entex PacMan 2
The Entex version of PacMan was created as a 1 and 2 player game (hence the 2), albeit the second player would play as the ghost, hunting the Player 1 PacMan. The use of the name PacMan would land Entex in court with Namco, where Entex would initially be given the benefit of the doubt, but later require them to produce the game under licence.
As a single player game, this was actually a more accurate port of the original arcade PacMan than Munchman or Puck Monster, and without the physical joystick a lot more likely to still be in working order today.
Munchman value today (updated July 2024)
Prices can vary wildly on eBay, which is still your best source of these old handheld units. The game units themselves were very robust with few moving parts, and due to the popularity of the game lots of them were sold and many survive to buy second-hand in the Uk.
Some may still be in the original card box box with poly inserts, although having the box isn’t essential unless that’s your thing. A box does however indicate that the game has been looked after, and will most likely be damage free.
A few things to look out for when buying:
- the screens can become scratched and sometimes crack, although smaller scratches can be polished out, cracks cannot be repaired
- the sticker at the top of the screen can fade, peel or end up missing, it wouldn’t be impossible to make a new one and print yourself but it’s nice to have the original
- Check that the game powers up under battery power alone as well as via transformer. The transformers are often missing and if the power connector is damaged it can lock the game in “mains power only” mode
Expect to pay:
- £25-35 for a loose handheld
- £50-100 for a boxed game dependent on condition
Playing Grandstand Munchman Today
It is possible to play Munchman via emulation on the Internet Archive, where a number of classic handheld games have been converted to play on a desktop browser using the keyboard to control movement. Click the link below to play:
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