Game Review: LadyBug for ColecoVision

Rating: 90 out of 100

YES! Finally! It’s the Vintage Game Spot’s VERY FIRST ColecoVision game review! I am brand new to the ColecoVision, so bear with me if I make few slight mistakes, and feel free to discuss them below.

Ladybug came out as an arcade game, of course, in 1981. It was ported to the ColecoVision in 1982 and was moderately successful. I picked up my copy at Oogie Games for $5 so it can’t be that uncommon.

It was inspired by Pac-Man and once you play it you can tell why. But there are several twists that set it apart from Pac-Man. First off, you are a ladybug, hence the name. Instead of ghosts you are chased by bugs. You eat little dots that are arranged in a maze like in Pac-Man, but unlike Pac-Man there are several bonus dots. There are also skulls that if you eat them, you are killed instantly. On the plus side, if the bugs eat them they are also killed.

One of the major differences between Pac-Man and LadyBug is that the maze can be rearranged by pushing on doors located throughout the maze. Also unlike Pac-Man, where the ghosts seem to almost randomly move about the maze, the bugs actually chase you and can be lured by you into the skulls mentioned earlier. There is also a countdown located around the perimeter of the screen to tell you when the bugs will come out of their center square.

The more I play this game, the more I like it. The game play is so familiar due to everyone being used to Pac-Man that within a few minutes you are already on your way with no instruction whatsoever. Being able to change the maze yourself creates many opportunities and challenges not seen in Pac-Man. If you are lucky enough to be able to get the fruit/vegetable that appears stationary (and usually in the most bug infested part of the maze) then you score a nice bonus. The more levels you complete the faster the game goes, and the more challenging it becomes. The graphics aren’t wonderful, but its 1982, what do you expect!

A ColecoVision system: Hard to find and about $50. A bottle of Shasta: $3. An action game that makes you think: Priceless


ON A DIFFERENT NOTE: Don’t forget to vote for your favorite game system on the poll located on the top of the column on the right! A lot of people have voted for the SNES, which is probably my least favorite vintage system and I really don’t think it did much to further the video game industry, but one man’s trash is another’s treasure. Anyway, VOTE! PLEASE VOTE!