Although Pac-Man was a bestseller for the Atari 2600 when it was released, it was generally criticized for its poor graphics and sound, and the fact that it looked little like the arcade game it was based on. Along with E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, it was one of the most criticized games of its time.

Ms. Pac-Man was the arcade sequel to Pac-Man, and its translation to the Atari 2600 represented a giant leap forward for the console.

Unlike Pac-Man for the Atari 2600, Ms. Pac-Man contains four different colored ghosts, fruit and changing mazes. A new option not available in the arcades has been added, allowing the player to specify the number of ghosts roaming the maze.

With the exception of moving fruit, the gameplay of Ms. Pac-Man is identical to that of Pac-Man. The object of the game is to clear the maze of dots while avoiding ghosts. Power pills are eaten to make the ghosts turn blue, which is a signal that they are susceptible to your voracious appetite.

The cartridge contains 8K of memory, double the amount of the original Pac-Man.