The Game: You control a nice, big, juicy ladybug waddling around a complex maze, gobbling up food and avoiding your nasty fellow insects. Doors in the maze can throw pursuers off your track momentarily – or they can trap you into an even worse situation than whatever you’re trying to escape. (Universal, 1981)
Memories: Like Lock ‘n’ Chase, Ladybug is a fine example of a game which, though clearly inspired by Pac-Man, features enough unique game play elements to make it an individual game. And it’s a rare instance of a game I have to praise for its music and sound effects – they were really rather catchy.
As with almost all of Universal’s games, Ladybug forced you to work really hard at getting a bonus “life.” At least, unlike in the Mr. Do! games, the letters E, X, T, R and A weren’t trying to kill you. Somewhere around the third screen, Ladybug became near-impossible (at least for my young reflexes).
Coleco snatched up the home console rights to Ladybug, and though Atari 2600 and Intellivision versions were promised, Coleco naturally saved the best possible home port for the ColecoVision itself.
