Pac-Man holds a special place in the pantheon of Things in General within our popular culture. There have been songs, cartoons, clothes, and numerous miscellaneous items featuring the yellow hero, and despite the games themselves not attaining the same status as they had when he first hit our shores, he is still a powerful influence – how many people haven’t made the ‘wakka wakka wakka’ sound when the first slice of pizza removed resulted in the perfect Pac-Man shape?

It has been years since Pac-Man has starred in a game that has resulted in more than a mediocre, or possibly a decent, title bearing his name and likeness – nothing really, truly living up to the franchise. That has all changed with Pac-Man Championship Edition, a true sequel and evolution of the series. Pac-Man C.E. is one of those rare times when an original is actually improved upon, a feat that is impressive in any medium. Created by the creator of Pac-Man himself, Toru Iwatani, Championship Edition takes the formula in a new direction while still being familiar enough so that it feels like a natural progression to both fans of yesteryear and those that still test their skills against Inky and the gang regularly.

Download a demo of the original Pac-Man while you’re downloading Championship Edition so that you can properly gauge just what has changed. In the original, Pac-Man was like Jason Voorhees, slowly and methodically clearing the map of all of the pellets, randomly breaking away to chase down and give the ghosts their comeuppance. In the new version, the game starts out the same, but as Pac-Man survives and gobbles more pellets, the pellets become worth more, Pac-Man starts to speed up, the ghosts become more aggressive, and the music - albeit slightly grating initially - increases the tempo as the counter ticks down to a frenzied victory. Small touches, like sparks that shoot out if a corner is taken too loosely and faint light trails, add to the chaos on the screen. It’s an experience that is at once similar to but completely different from the original – and it’s more addictive than you could ever imagine. It is a shame, though, that the 360’s directional pad is so weak, not lending itself to fans of previous incarnations on other consoles, but the analog does do a great job in both keeping up and saving the day; and that is pretty much the only remotely negative thing I can think of.

There are several modes that are very similar, mainly different in time given – all maps are timed, which may upset some but also definitely serves the feed-the-beast aspect as intended – and map sizes. The main change is a map in which the maze, save for slightly illuminated areas around the characters, is invisible. The modes change up pellet placement and maze sizes, since the new feature now is that the mazes will change as you progress: once the pellets are all gone, the fruit appears, and the other side of the maze is changed and replenished once the fruit is gone. The new design results in a mad dash for the fruit, but at that point the ghosts tend to have altered their mindset from Random to Eat Yellow Thing that it becomes a game of cat and mouse to get to it. It’s all exactly how you would want a Pac-Man sequel to be: true to the original but properly updated and advanced, engaging, easy to get into, and still oh so charming. This and Catan hold my 360 in such a firm grip that the Arcade blade has now become a dangerous vortex where time disappears and productivity drops like a rock. Be careful.

Purchase: Yes. (You will get more out of this $10 than you will most games you pay $50-60 for. Guaranteed.)