Mini-Munchman

Mini-MunchMan
Publisher(s)	Grandstand
Platform(s)	Handheld
Release	NA: 1981
Genre(s)	Maze

Mini-MunchMan is a handheld electronic game that was released in 1981 in the UK by the manufacturer Grandstand. The game is a rebadged version of Epoch-Man from Epoch.

In some markets, such as Australia, the game was badged "Mini-Arcade".

Overview

Capitalising on the then-contemporary success of Namco's Pac-Man, the game was released in the same year as Grandstand's larger Munchman game and in the same yellow colour scheme (Conversely, Epoch Man is white). Mini-Munchman, however, is a pocket-sized device that includes additional features, such as a real-time clock, alarm, and stopwatch. The manufacturer later spawned a larger LCD version with greater screen area called Pocket Pac-Man.

Hardware

The game employs a low consumption LCD-based screen, allowing for a small form factor design incorporating alkaline button power cells. The game requires two LR-44 or equivalent cells. In-game objects are displayed on fixed, immovable LCD elements. The main score display, which doubles up as a date/time and stopwatch display, consists of a three-and-a-half-digit display and an extra small digit for tenths of a second, or lives remaining.

Gameplay

The object of the game is to move the character around a maze, eat all the fruit, and avoid contact with ghosts. There are two humpback bridges that contain a fruit item both over and underneath the bridge. Successive levels are faster, to increase difficulty. Each level has a fixed route which can guarantee completion of each level without losing a life. Due to the limits of the fixed numeric display, the highest score that can be shown is 1,999. Once this has been exceeded, the score will display as HHH.