Game Play Tips[edit]
Note: These tips are for the original arcade version of the game. They may apply to some home versions of the game, but not necessarily.
Go for the blue hearts first[edit]
When you begin each new maze, the letters and hearts will start out red immediately, go to yellow, and then blue. Use this opportunity to get all three hearts first so you can build your score quickly. On some levels, the hearts will be in very close vicinity of the Bug Box; an easy grab! If they're scattered throughout the maze, you may have to wait for the last one as getting the first two is possible (starting on Level 2). It's wise to do this before the very first insect leaves the den (or "Bug Box"). Remember, all regular points for dots and flowers are multiplied by five if you get all three while blue.
Time your color changes[edit]
This is easy to do from Levels 2 - 4. The hearts/letters are blue until the first insect leaves the Bug Box. When it appears, the colors will cycle red to yellow. This will continue until all four insects are in the maze, but it will be difficult to track the longer all four are on the board. The color times break down like this: RED: Less than a half second; YELLOW: approximately four seconds; and BLUE: approximately ten seconds. After Level 5, two insects will have to leave the den before the first color cycle. Once all four insects are in the maze, the difficulty increases for the remaining stages, but you should be able to keep some sembelance of the color cycle if you're able to isolate yourself long enough from insect danger.
Losing a life can be beneficial[edit]
Over the course of the game, you may be one letter away from getting that EXTRA or SPECIAL. The game may fall into a notorious habit of giving you the same combination of letters every board, particularly if you still have all lives remaining and a pretty decent score. Don't fret once you lose that life! You'll notice, if you survive long enough, the next level or two will give you that missing letter (s) because the re-run cycle has been broken by losing that life. Remember, in this game, you might not get to spell EXTRA until 100,000 or more points. .... literally! But again, be careful because the game may repeat this pattern.
Insect speed increases after level 5[edit]
As you progress to higher levels, you'll notice that the insects come after you much faster, and not just on level progression. Their speed can increase just on the level you're on if you take too much time completing it. Make good use of the skulls in the maze (the maximum is six after Level 10) and look for effective dodging areas along the turnstiles. Expert players can also find "hiding" spots that are very effective in dodging insects and setting up for veggie takes. You can't isolate yourself completely from the insects even with the turnstiles in any section of the maze, but look for certain areas that will make the insects take the "long way" to get to you.
Don't worry about your score after level 8[edit]
At this point, trying to rack up points with red or yellow letters is moot since the insects will be on you and this will only get worse every stage thereafter. If you see a chance to get an extra 300 pts. - 4,000 pts. or even a veggie, by all means take it! Otherwise, just concentrate on getting what letters you do need for an EXTRA or SPECIAL and finishing the board as quickly as possible. Again, get the hearts while blue! This is still very do-able on the upper levels and eliminates them as a factor in completion in addition to giving you those extra points.
Go after vegetables with less than a quarter of the maze left[edit]
If you want those extra points and to leave that maze with your life intact, this is a crucial tip. It's entirely possible to score more than one vegetable, but that's only if you still have skulls in play. Insect speed tends to increase after their initial freeze. The goal is to eat as much as possible, or ideally leave that stage if there are no more skulls, during the freeze. Again, a tune plays when you eat a veggie; you have until it ends to grab what you can (there could even be a one to two second delay before the insects resume chase). Nonetheless, if you have a lot of dots, flowers, or letters remaining on the board with all the skulls gone and the veggie has already been taken, your chances of making it off alive are not good.
Try to follow the insect pursuit patterns[edit]
Contrary to popular belief detailed in the previous section, certain insects do have a way of chasing you. In the early levels, the insects are usually just wandering around and maybe two at a time will give chase. By the time you reach the upper levels, all four will give chase or they will try to take you out one or two at a time. This can be very advantageous for additional points, skull kills, & bonus veggies if you watch closely how they pursue you. By the way, if you lose a life by running into a skull, the remaining skulls in the maze disappear. If you're on a high level with angry insects on a full board with the skulls gone, you might want to call it a game unless you manage to get to the next level.
Watch the time line[edit]
As we know, the rectangular shapes that border the maze (the "time line") alternates green and white to signal when an insect enters the maze. Beginning on Level 5, you have eight seconds to eat what you can before the first insect is released. If an insect hits a skull and returns to the Bug Box as the time line is completing its full rotation, it will immediately leave the den. Be aware of this if you are going after veggies, as wandering insects may hit a remaining skull while you're trying for it. Note: you don't lose a life going into the Bug Box while insects are in it, but you're fair (and dead) game if the time line expires & you're still in it. This also applies if there are insects already in pursuit.
Try not to use the turnstiles around the Bug Box[edit]
All turnstiles are reset with each new board. When grabbing for any dots, letters, or flowers around the Bug Box, it is critical that the turnstiles around it remain like they were at the start of the board. Using these doors is dangerous because it gives the insects a shorter pursuing distance. That increases their chance of catching you when you might not see it coming, especially when you want to grab a leftover veggie. It's okay to use them when clearing the area of the above, but by the time you leave, those doors should be left as if they were never touched.
Using the insect speed to your advantage after Level 19[edit]
The final level of the game is the 9,500 point-Horseradish and will continue as this every level thereafter. With a few exceptions (they will be brief), every insect that's released will come after you relentlessly. Lure any released insect into a skull while clearing as much as possible of the board during those breaks. When all four bugs are out, they will all try to catch you together! Use this to your advantage by grabbing yourself the veggie & 9,500 points. If you have a skull or two left & some board remains, you can score even more points if you use this trick. Remember, don't worry about red & yellow flowers unless there's a SPECIAL or EXTRA involved.
Set a workable pattern after level 5[edit]
As pointed out, the first insect will appear in the maze after about eight seconds. Use this time to clear the dots and/or letters around the Bug Box first. Also, it would be wise to do this from this stage on. You won't get them all, but you should be able to clear most of them and get to the remainder at a later time. From there, begin working your way from the bottom to the top (or vice versa based on the situation), making sure to lose or lure into a skull any pesky insect giving chase. Clear ALL dots during this course. Even one dot left behind could be the difference between completing the board with lives' intact or foolishly losing one over leaving it untouched.
Miscellaneous Tips[edit]
You will lose a life if you try to dodge an insect in a turnstile following you too close, so give yourself enough space .... EXTRA has your ladybug rotating around a musical scale and entering your lives' area while SPECIAL shows a wedding ceremony with ladybug grabbing a coin, indicating your free game .... Insects will be doing 90 miles an hour while you're only doing two from Level 15 (Red Pepper) on, so you really need to be fast and on your toes in dodging and skulling .... If you're looking to get two SPECIAL's in one game, forget it!!! It's entirely possible, but you'll have very little time to try for another one on the upper stages & the game may likely resume its reputation for repeated letter combos. It's best to just concentrate on EXTRA's since the game is more likely & willing to give you letters for that after the initial freebie.