Doodle Bug

Dragon 32/64 - Released - 1983

Doodle Bug is a clone of the arcade game, Lady Bug, itself a close relative of the original Pac-Man. Just like the yellow pill-eater, you guide your sprite around a maze populated by nasties, and can only escape once you've eaten all the pills in the maze. A baddie in the centre of the screen will spawn a new baddie every time the running meter on the score panel has reached zero. The powerup system does not work like Pac-Man, though. No invincibility pills are available, instead, there are a number of letters from the words "special" and "extra" displayed at the top of the screen. When the letters are the same colour as the words they belong to, you begin to spell out those words, granting you either a "special" round or an "extra" life. Additionally, the heart bonuses act as score multipliers for your pills. Without any power pills, your bug is quite vulnerable. Therefore, the environment must be used to its advantage. Many walls in the Doddle Bug maze function like revolving doors which, when passed, will rotate to block the path of a baddie that could otherwise hunt you down.

Doodle Bug!

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - 1982

Doodle Bug is a clone of the arcade game Lady Bug. Loosely based on Pacman, you have to eat all of the dots in the maze while avoiding bugs coming from the center house. There is a timer that continuously runs, and at certain times, any letters or hearts on the screen will change colors. If you get the hearts when they are white, you will increase your points multiplier (as seen in the upper right of the screenshot). If you hit the letters when they are the color of the words 'Special' or 'Extra', you eventually spell out the entire word, and then get large bonuses or free men. The most innovative part of the game is the turnstyles; only you can rotate them. You can use this to virtually design your own maze on the fly, and to thwart bugs that are chasing you (unlike Pacman, the bugs can always match your speed). You also can NEVER hit the skulls scattered throughout. A fun game.

Fangman

TRS-80 Color Computer - Released - April 27, 1984

Fangman is a cute, Halloween style arcade game. In it, you are a vampire, who must trap humans (with the help of your trusty bats), while avoiding the roving sun, and any crosses in your path (which are created by two humans crossing paths). Each time you manage to trap and kill a human, it changes into a bat to help you. You do have the ability (once per life or screen) to gain a temporary 'super power' that gives you the ability to go over (and destroy) 3 crosses. If two bats cross each others paths, they will drop coffins for you to pick up, which are worth extra points.