How to play Maze Chase well

Clearing a maze is less about quick fingers than knowing where each chaser is going next. Here is how they think, and how to use it.

Turn early, not on time

A turn you press before a junction is kept until the next opening, and a turn pressed a fraction late still takes. So look one junction ahead and press the turn as soon as you know it. Players who wait until they are at the corner lose time on every one.

Know the four chasers

Dash (red, with a triangle) comes straight at you and speeds up when only a few dots are left, so save an easy route for the end. Snare (blue, with a dot) aims four tiles ahead of where you are facing: turning towards it often makes it overshoot. Flank (violet, with a square) works off Dash's position and closes from the other side, so when Dash is behind you, expect Flank ahead. Drift (orange, with a diamond) chases from a distance but backs off to its corner once within about six tiles.

Use the breathers

A few times each level the chasers stop and head for their corners. Every chaser turns round when this starts, which can open a route that was closed a moment before. Use it to clear the busiest part of the maze.

Spend power pellets, don't waste them

A power pellet turns every chaser blue for a few seconds, and each one you catch is worth double the last: 200, 400, 800, 1,600. Eat one when two or three chasers are close, not when the maze is empty. On later levels the blue time gets short, so be near your target before you eat the pellet.

The tunnels are yours

Chasers slow down sharply in the side tunnels; you do not. A tunnel is the best escape when someone is right behind you.

Frequently asked questions

Why do the chasers sometimes stop chasing me?

Every so often all four head for their own corners for a few seconds. It is built into the game as a breather, and it is the safest moment to clear a crowded area.

Which mode should I start on?

Relaxed, if you are new to maze games: five lives, slower chasers and longer power pellets. Classic plays like an arcade. Frantic is for when Classic gets easy.

Is Maze Chase the same as Pac-Man?

No. It is an original game in the same maze-chase style, with its own mazes, characters and rules, and is not affiliated with any arcade game's owners.