Once you have pressed the Start Button on the title screen of Namco Hometek's 1993 SNES/Sega Genesis/Game Boy/Game Gear game of Pac-Attack you will have to select either "Normal Mode", "Puzzle Mode" or (in the SNES and Sega Genesis versions) "Versus Mode"; push the D-Pad up and down and press a button to confirm your choice. If you chose the first, you will have to choose between four difficulty levels - "Easy" (Level 0), "Normal" (Level 10, starts with 50000 points), "Hard" (Level 40, starts with 1000000 points), and "Hyper" (Level 100, starting with 2000000 points) by pushing the D-Pad up and down, and again pressing any button to confirm your choice. The text "START" will then appear on the screen as that mode's main theme starts.
Normal Mode[edit]
Once you have pressed any button for a second time to confirm your chosen difficulty level, the text "START" will appear on the screen as the mode's main theme starts and game pieces (which could be comprised of up to three Gold Bricks, up to three Blinky Clones, and Pac-Man) start falling down from the top of the screen; use the D-Pad to move the pieces left, right and down (for up to 28 extra points in the case of that last one, as opposed to 24 in Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle), and the B Button to rotate them (in an anticlockwise direction). When you fill a line of Gold Bricks they will disappear - and when Pac-Man appears, note which direction he is facing as he will move in that direction when he drops (and eat all the Blinky Clones he runs into on his way down to the bottom of the screen). If you have chosen to start the game on "Normal", "Hard", or "Hyper" level, the "Fairy Meter" will fill up every time Pac-Man eliminates a Blinky Clone; once it is completely filled, a Fairy will fall down from the top of the screen and then cast a spell to eliminate seven rows of Blinky Clones when she lands.
Much like Cosmo Gang: The Puzzle, this mode does not have an ending; the closest you can get to winning is if you reach Speed Level 1000, at which point the "LEVEL" counter will break. Once your pieces reach the top of the screen, a red "X" will appear on all the Gold Bricks on the screen, as all the Blinky Clones start laughing, and the text "GAME OVER" appears - and if your score was high enough, you will have thirty seconds to enter your name (up to six characters, as opposed to eight) on the high-score table, which also displays your speed level and the number of Blinky Clones you have ate.
Puzzle Mode[edit]
Once you have pushed your D-Pad down then pressed any button to select this mode, three options will appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen; "START", "PASSWORD", and "CANCEL". If you choose the first, the game will proceed to the mode's introduction screen which explains that you will receive a limited number of Pacs to eat all the Blinky Clones on a screen - and, that before Pac-Man lands, you can change the direction he is facing with the L, R, or X Buttons (in the SNES version). In the Sega Genesis version, this is replicated by the C Button, while in the Game Boy and Game Gear versions it is replicated by the A Button; once you have pressed any button, the mode will start as its theme starts to be heard. However, if you've chosen the second option, the game will proceed to the mode's password screen, which prompts you to enter a three-letter password, by using the D-Pad to move the cursor, then pressing the B Button to enter your chosen letter - and you can also press the X Button to go back to the menu if you enter an invalid password (in the SNES version). In the Sega Genesis version, this is replicated with the C Button, while in the Game Boy and Game Gear versions it is replicated with the A Button; once you enter a valid password, the game will proceed to the stage it corresponds to. It is also worth noting that the passwords are only made up of the 21 consonants - and all 100 of the Puzzle Mode stages' initial numbers of Blinky Clones, rest counts and three-letter passwords are displayed in the table you see below:
| Stage | Initial number of Blinky Clones | Rests | Password |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 5 | STR |
| 2 | 7 | 5 | HNM |
| 3 | 5 | 5 | KST |
| 4 | 7 | 5 | TRT |
| 5 | 2 | 5 | MYX |
| 6 | 7 | 5 | KHL |
| 7 | 6 | 5 | RTS |
| 8 | 21 | 5 | SKB |
| 9 | 23 | 5 | HNT |
| 10 | 14 | 5 | SRY |
| 11 | 6 | 4 | YSK |
| 12 | 6 | 4 | RCF |
| 13 | 2 | 4 | HSM |
| 14 | 19 | 5 | PWW |
| 15 | 9 | 5 | MTN |
| 16 | 11 | 5 | TKY |
| 17 | 27 | 5 | RGH |
| 18 | 30 | 4 | TNS |
| 19 | 7 | 1 | YKM |
| 20 | 9 | 1 | MWS |
| 21 | 7 | 4 | KTY |
| 22 | 10 | 4 | TYK |
| 23 | 9 | 6 | SMM |
| 24 | 13 | 5 | NFL |
| 25 | 24 | 4 | SRT |
| 26 | 11 | 4 | KKT |
| 27 | 17 | 5 | MDD |
| 28 | 27 | 4 | CWD |
| 29 | 23 | 5 | DRC |
| 30 | 13 | 3 | WHT |
| 31 | 5 | 3 | FLT |
| 32 | 8 | 2 | SKM |
| 33 | 13 | 4 | QTN |
| 34 | 9 | 3 | SMN |
| 35 | 7 | 2 | TGR |
| 36 | 6 | 2 | WKR |
| 37 | 25 | 3 | YYP |
| 38 | 2 | 1 | SLS |
| 39 | 8 | 2 | THD |
| 40 | 5 | 5 | RMN |
| 41 | 6 | 2 | CNK |
| 42 | 7 | 3 | FRB |
| 43 | 6 | 2 | LMR |
| 44 | 1 | 5 | FRP |
| 45 | 24 | 4 | SDB |
| 46 | 4 | 7 | BQJ |
| 47 | 12 | 3 | VSM |
| 48 | 11 | 2 | RDY |
| 49 | 27 | 4 | XPL |
| 50 | 1 | 1 | WLC |
| 51 | 14 | 3 | TMF |
| 52 | 18 | 4 | QNS |
| 53 | 15 | 5 | GWR |
| 54 | 10 | 3 | PLT |
| 55 | 2 | 3 | KRW |
| 56 | 14 | 4 | HRC |
| 57 | 13 | 2 | RPN |
| 58 | 13 | 5 | CNT |
| 59 | 20 | 6 | BTT |
| 60 | 19 | 3 | TMP |
| 61 | 6 | 2 | MNS |
| 62 | 8 | 2 | SWD |
| 63 | 12 | 3 | LDM |
| 64 | 8 | 4 | YST |
| 65 | 36 | 3 | QTM |
| 66 | 3 | 2 | BRP |
| 67 | 22 | 4 | MRS |
| 68 | 9 | 3 | PPY |
| 69 | 2 | 9 | SWT |
| 70 | 3 | 4 | WTM |
| 71 | 16 | 5 | FST |
| 72 | 8 | 3 | SLW |
| 73 | 24 | 5 | XWF |
| 74 | 23 | 4 | RQJ |
| 75 | 1 | 1 | SNC |
| 76 | 12 | 3 | BKP |
| 77 | 12 | 7 | CRN |
| 78 | 24 | 4 | XNT |
| 79 | 5 | 4 | RNT |
| 80 | 27 | 3 | BSK |
| 81 | 28 | 4 | JWK |
| 82 | 14 | 4 | GSN |
| 83 | 4 | 1 | MMT |
| 84 | 24 | 4 | TNK |
| 85 | 9 | 7 | HPN |
| 86 | 36 | 5 | DCR |
| 87 | 29 | 5 | BNS |
| 88 | 5 | 4 | SDC |
| 89 | 28 | 7 | MRH |
| 90 | 12 | 6 | BTF |
| 91 | 30 | 5 | NSM |
| 92 | 24 | 5 | QYZ |
| 93 | 16 | 5 | KTT |
| 94 | 24 | 5 | FGS |
| 95 | 17 | 5 | RRC |
| 96 | 18 | 7 | YLW |
| 97 | 27 | 5 | PNN |
| 98 | 17 | 3 | SPR |
| 99 | 12 | 9 | CHB |
| 100 | 11 | 5 | LST |
Also, if you enter the password "FFF" in the Sega Genesis version (the SNES version doesn't have it), the game will go straight to the ending sequence; it is also worth noting that if you get a Game Over in this mode upon the SNES, you can press the L Button at the top of the controller to change stages. Once you've cleared the 100th stage, the game will proceed to this mode's aforementioned ending sequence (the credits are different for each version):
SNES credits[edit]
Sega Genesis credits[edit]
Game Boy credits[edit]
The first half of the credits for the Game Boy version is identical to the credits for the SNES one, but after it has finished, a new second one will follow it:
Game Gear credits[edit]
The first half of the credits for the Game Gear version is again identical to the credits for the SNES one, but after it has finished, a new second one shall again follow it (it's also the only version of the game that doesn't proceed to its credits until you've pushed either button on the "congratulations" screen):
After the credits have finished in this version, you'll also have to press either button for a second time in order to make the game return to its title screen.
Versus Mode (SNES and Sega Genesis only)[edit]
Once you have pushed your D-Pad down twice (ensuring that a second controller is plugged into the console), and pressed any button to select this mode, both of you will have to choose between three speed levels; "Low", "Medium", and "High" by pushing your D-Pad up and down then again pressing any button to confirm your choice. The text "START" will then appear on both sides of the screen as this mode's main theme starts to be heard, and game pieces (which could again be comprised of up to three Gold Bricks, up to three Blinky Clones or Sue Clones, and Pac-Man), fall down from the top of the screen - and in this mode, when either player eliminates a lot of Blinky or Sue Clones at once, it will not only result in a large bonus, but it will also cause a group of your side's Clones to fall down on your opponent's side of the screen - and once a player's pieces reach the top of their side of that screen, one of the yellow lights below the "Fairy Meter" on that other player's side of that screen will turn on. Once either player has won three games (all three lights have turned on) the match will end.