Pac-Land/Walkthrough

Pac-Land is composed of eight distinct trips. The first four trips serve as an introduction to the second four trips. The second four trips repeat in a cycle with a slight increase in difficult (e.g. Trip 9 is the same as a slightly harder Trip 5). They are denoted by the color that is applied to the boarder on the top and bottom of the screen. Every trip is composed of four rounds. The first three rounds have Pac-Man running to the right in order to find the door to the Fairy Land. Once Pac-Man finds and jumps through the door, the Fairy is returned to her home, and the Fairy Queen grants you a pair of magic flying boots that you can use to hop through the air in order to make it home during the final round of the trip.

Trip 1

 * Round 1: Town: The first stage starts out serenely. For a while all you must focus on is jumping over the fire hydrants and the occasional ghost-mobile.  Sue is ever present behind you, so don't dawdle.  Remember to jump on top of the hydrants in order to make the cherries appear in the window.  Eventually you will come to a power pellet after a long stretch with no hydrants.  Try to get all five ghosts around you before you eat it, and remember to eat Sue last so you earn a Lucky Pac.  The hydrant immediately following the power pellet can be pushed left for a helmet.  This is probably the easiest helmet to earn in the whole game, so don't pass it up.
 * Round 2: Forest: This stage starts out a little more like a desert until you reach the entrance to the forest. One of the cacti or tree stumps can be pushed left for a warp that immediately sends you to the end of Trip 2 (so the next round you begin with is round 9).  Only attempt this if you are an expert player.  Catch the floating fruit when it's at a low point so the fruit that appear as a result are easier to collect.  The power pellet towards the end of the forest is another good Lucky Pac opportunity.
 * Round 3: Mountains: This is your introduction to the highly skill dependent mountain environments. This is by far the easiest mountain stage since it only contains rolling log platforms and one falling bridge (that starts out nearly in tact, unlike the subsequent bridges).  Learn how to maintain Pac-Man's speed on the logs.  One of the cacti at the end of the stage might contain an invincibility power-up that turns Pac-Man transparent.  This stage also features your first pond jump, and it's a fairly simple one.  Your timing does not have to be absolutely perfect to clear it.  On the other side of the pond is a power pellet.  Even though you're at the end of the stage, you can easily attempt to earn a Lucky Pac here for even more points.  Walk up to the floating door to enter fairy land.
 * Round 4: Return Trip: Return trips always feature a sampling of some of the environments that you encountered on your way to fairy land. You will start out in a desert environment with increasingly tall cacti to clear.  If you hover around the cactus that is three units high, you may reveal the Special Pac extra life.  If the bottom of the last cactus can not be pushed to the right to reveal balloons, one of the fire hydrants in the city can, but make sure the coast is clear before you try and don't waste too much time looking for it.  If you're still wearing your helmet from round 1, then you have little to fear from the airplanes above.  If not, proceed with caution.

Trip 2

 * Round 5: Town: This town is a little more dangerous than the first one. The fire hydrants begin shooting water and the ghosts occasionally appear in double decker buses.  You need a running start to clear these buses, but they can also serve as a platform from which you can reach the roof.  A fire hydrant in the middle of town can offer you a helmet if pushed, but Clyde is frequently driving about, making it difficult to push the hydrant all the way in one attempt.
 * Round 6: Pond: This is the first stage to focus exclusively on using jump boards to clear several ponds. The first two ponds aren't difficult to clear, but the last pond can be incredibly difficult if you do not have the timing down yet.  You must be running, you must jump as late as possible without missing the spring board, and you must tap right as rapidly as possible to stay in the air.  If you are hitting the fruit, you have nothing to worry about.  If you are just missing them, you might just make it, so don't give up.  The power pellet in this round can be used to collect a rather easy Lucky Pac.
 * Round 7: Bridge: Your first bridge stage isn't too difficult. Learn to recognize when a geyser is about to shoot out of the water, and steer clear of it.  You will find ships along the highest route of the bridge, which extend the length of certain platforms when collected, making it easier to clear the stage safely.  One of the hydrants can be pushed for an invincibility power-up.
 * Round 8: Return Trip: Your return trip home will have you largely floating over a pond. You can collect the strawberries that appear, but make sure the level they occupy is safe from ghost attacks.  Once you clear the pond, you will be running through a forest.  Don't be tempted to jump up in the trees to collect fruit if ghosts are flying by.  One of the stumps can be pushed to reveal balloons, but do not attempt to find this if time is running low.

Trip 3

 * Round 9: Pond: Jump over the cacti until you reach the pond. This pond has an island in the middle that you must land on before continuing over the rest of the water.  Land on the island, get a good running start, and take off from the second spring board to clear the pond.  On the other side, you will encounter a cactus with a skull to the right.  That skull indicates the presence of quicksand, so try to get a good running jump off of the top of the cactus to clear the danger.  Just watch out for the ghost on pogo-sticks.  When you reach the power pellet, you can try for a lucky pac by eating one of the ghost bombs instead of a real ghost and eating Sue fifth.  It will still count as long as Sue is worth 3200 points.
 * Round 10: Forest: This stage can be completed fairly quickly as there isn't a whole lot to pay attention to. Of course you must time your movements under or over the attacking ghosts carefully.  One of the tree stumps can be pushed left to reveal an invincibility power-up, making the amount of time you need to spend in this stage even shorter.  A power pellet can be found towards the end of the stage.
 * Round 11: Mountains: Welcome back to the mountains. This time, the logs roll faster, so you have to increase Pac-Man's speed more often to keep him going in the direction that you want him to.  In addition to this added difficulty, you will now encounter the clouds.  The clouds really aren't difficult to deal with as long as you're patient.  But be aware that their size does not allow you to correct Pac-Man's position easily, since he insists on taking one full step forward every time you turn around, and the clouds don't have much room for maneuvering.
 * Round 12: Return Trip: The return trip takes you over a pond once more. Use your judgement when deciding which fruit are safe to go for, and which you should avoid.  Once you clear the pond, you will be passing through town.  Ghosts will fly above you and drive below you, so try to take the safe path down the middle of the screen.  A power pellet shows up at the very end of the stage, so grab it only if you want the extra points.

Trip 4

 * Round 13: Town: The kid gloves are off, and the true nature of the Town will be revealed. Double fire hydrants, shooting water, double decker buses, and Inky in nearly every window.  If that wasn't enough, much of the fruit in this stage appears on the roof tops.  A quick and easy way to access to roofs is to stand on top of a fire hydrant and wait for a gob of water to fire upwards.  There is a helmet to be found, but it doesn't help you that much for this trip.
 * Round 14: Castle: Welcome to the first instance of a Castle round. This is also the only Castle round that allows you to see the entire screen as you run through it.  Every castle after this is shrouded in darkness with only a limited view of the action ahead of you.  There will be no ghosts unless you run out of time and Sue chases after you.  Use this round to learn the features of Castles; the keys, the doors, the gaps in the floor, and the misguiding appearances of fruit.
 * Round 15: Bridge: This is a much more difficult version of the previous Bridge round. There are many more gaps to jump over, and the ships are very difficult to reach, so don't count on getting them.  Occasionally, you can hitch a ride on a ghost's plane if it's traveling your way.  One fact that you can take advantage of is that you can use the geysers to boost you up to the highest platform if you jump at the last minute.
 * Round 16: Return Trip: You will have to pass back through mountains first. Hover around the first tall and slender cliff to make the only other Special Pac extra life appear.  It is important to remember to time your passage over the cliff tops carefully so that you don't run into the airplanes that fly through the only available space that you can pass.  Later on in the forest, one of the stumps can be pushed right to reveal balloons.

Trip 5 (Purple)

 * Round 17: Pond/Forest: Trip 5 starts out almost immediately with a fairly difficult pond jump. This is another pond where you must stop on an island in the middle before continuing the rest of the jump.  When you reach the forest, you might think that your troubles are over, but on the contrary, there is one more spring board that you must leap from, and it starts from within the forest.  Once you land, the only issue left is a quicksand trap right at the very end.  A good leap from the cactus ahead will help you reach Break Time safely.
 * Round 18: Mountains: This mountain stage doesn't throw anything at you that you haven't seen already. If you take your time and proceed with enough caution, you should be OK.  Some of the log platform jumps are trickier to time than before, and the collapsing log bridge is more sparsely populated, but neither should present a real challenge.
 * Round 19: Castle: This Castle is the first one that you must complete in total darkness.  Without a map to guide you, you must use your wit to pass through it in time.  Varying floors frequently is a good tactic to employ.  To help get you started, there is a key right at the beginning of the Castle on the lowest floor.  Always try your best to have one key on hand at all times.
 * Round 20: Return Trip: It is nearly impossible to make it all the way past the two ponds and two forests and reach the city before time runs out on this trip. Fortunately, you only have to worry about Sue charging you when time runs out, and a very rare appearance from Clyde.  When time does run out, jump continuously to keep Sue off your back for as long as possible.  When you reach the city, you must time your jumps with the double fire hydrants and avoid the water gobs at all cost.  The ones moving right will just push you into Sue.

Trip 6 (Blue)

 * Round 21: Town: As far as towns go, this one is relatively straightforward. You will now be greeted exclusively with double decker buses, so make sure that you have the clearance to jump on their roofs, or wait on a fire hydrant until you can leap over them.
 * Round 22: Mountains: This round, on the other hand, is the kind of round that makes you wish Pac-Man could have the flying boots before he reaches Fairy Land. It starts out like many mountain rounds do, but at some point, you will reach a mid-stage lake.  Collect the power pellet inside to keep the ghosts away from you while you tackle the next jump.  You must time the jump at the very height of the left log platform if you wish to land on the right one.  After that, there is another lake where the logs floating in the water.  In round 22, some are oriented horizontally, make your approach a little easier, but when you revisit this stage in much later rounds, they are all eventually oriented vertically.
 * Round 23: Bridge: After that last round, this round will seem quite easy by comparison. No real surprises here.  Using the geyser to reach the top of the screen is typically the only way to get the ships now.  Either rely on that method, or become more confident with your jumping skills to clear this round and reach Fairy Land.
 * Round 24: Return Trip: The Bridge portion of the return trip offers little by way of a threat and should be easy enough to clear if you stick to the top of the screen. The Town portion on the other hand, can be a lot trickier, especially once the screen becomes congested with ghosts.  The power pellet that you find can help you thin the herd a little bit, but it comes so close to the end, it's almost of no help to you.

Trip 7 (Green)

 * Round 25: Forest: One of the first four stumps contains a helmet power-up, but don't take too long to find it. You don't have a lot of time to spare, and you lose the helmet if time runs out.  In the middle of the forest is a succession of quicksand traps.  You can use the springboard to help you clear them, but it's really not necessary.  You should have no problem staying out of danger if you run at the cactus at full speed, and jump after you hit them.  Your speed should send you hurdling over the cactus and past the deadly portion of the ground.
 * Round 26: Mountains: This mountain stage incorporates many of the more difficult aspects of the previous ones. However, the stage is a little shorter, so there are fewer tricky parts to deal with.  The only advice there is to give is to proceed patiently and cautiously, and time your jumps very carefully.
 * Round 27: Dark Forest: This is the only forest that you must run through in total darkness. Like the Castles, only the space immediately in front of you can be seen cleary.  However, as usual, the ghost's eyes at the very least are always visible, so you shouldn't have too much trouble determining the best way to avoid them.  Slow down if you are about to run into a cluster of ghosts and wait for an opening.  The forest becomes a desert, but the darkness remains.  However, a power pellet can be collected to ease your troubles.  It is better to continue running forward while you have the reprieve than to run back for any extra points.
 * Round 28: Return Trip: The end of this round poses a little more of a threat to Pac-Man than the beginning does, but overall, it shouldn't give you too much trouble. You start by passing through the desert/forest area.  Every ghost you encounter will be jumping on pogo-sticks, so flying over all of their heads should be relatively safe.  When you reach the mountain environment, you must proceed a lot more carefully, as the lake beneath you doesn't give you a lot of wiggle room between the water and wherever the ghosts choose to fly.

Trip 8 (Orange)

 * Round 29: Pond: If you've made it this far, you might be an excellent player and this round will be the true test. The entire round is one long pond with a few islands in the middle.  But there are no spring boards!  So how do you get to the first island, let alone cross the pond?  You'll need to hitch a ride with one of the ghosts performing a fly by in one of their airplanes.  Clyde and Pinky both appear to be likely choices (and you may need to use Sue just to get on top of them), but Pinky is a little safer since he's a tad slower, which gives you a little more reaction time.  The trick to this stage, however, is this: forget the power pellet.  Don't get distracted by power-ups or fruit.  If you really want to clear this round, keep riding on the ghosts!  If you jump off, or get knocked off by an oncoming plane, or even a cloud, it's a long hike to the end, and jumping from cloud to cloud isn't as easy as it seems.  So commit yourself for a round-long flight, and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.
 * Round 30: Castle: Other than a different floor layout, this round is pretty much identical to round 19. Keep on moving, and back track as little as possible.  In this round, the top floor is a good way to start off with.
 * Round 31: Bridge: This bridge is as torn down as any bridge round you'll ever encounter. Only the bare minimum of platforms are present.  If that wasn't bad enough, Clyde and Pinky perform near constant fly overs, making it difficult to time your jumps properly if you're in a hurry.  You're generally safe from airplane attack on the lowest level.  Just watch out for the geysers.
 * Round 32: Return Trip: The return trip home is back along the round-long lake, but it's a much more difficult experience here. Ghosts are going to be flying towards you constantly and mercilessly.  Your best defense is to hover as low and close to the water surface as possible, floating beneath all of the airplanes, and hoping that one doesn't decide to dive down low enough to kill you.  Another tactic to employ would be to turn around and move to the right for a little while so that you get a few planes flying to the left.  Then turn around and keep them on the screen for as long as you can so that's one or two fewer planes to deal with going against you.  If you complete this, congratulations, you are a true Pac-Land hero.

At this time, the game continues from Trip 5 again at a higher level of difficulty.