Bachman

Bachman is a 1992 Pac-Man-inspired arcade game by Swedish developer Ingemar Ragnemalm, presented from a pseudo-3D third-person perspective rather than the usual top-down view. Players steer Bachman through maze-like levels, scooping up power pills and grabbing temporary speed boosters while dodging or chasing the resident ghosts.

Gameplay

The core loop borrows directly from Pac-Man: clear each level by collecting all the pellets while avoiding pursuers. Power pills briefly invert the relationship and let Bachman hunt the ghosts, and scattered speed pickups give a short burst of extra mobility.

Pseudo-3D Perspective

Rather than the overhead view of the arcade original, Bachman renders the maze from behind and slightly above the player, giving the game a distinctive look that distinguished it from the many flat Pac-Man clones on the shareware circuit.

Level Editor

The full version (v2.0.8 is freeware) ships with a built-in level editor, letting players design and share their own mazes in addition to the levels included with the game.

Author

Ingemar Ragnemalm is a prolific Swedish Mac game author whose other early-1990s shareware titles helped seed the Mac's homebrew arcade scene.