Scarfman
Scarfman is a clone of Pac-Man written by Philip A. Oliver for the TRS-80 computer and published by The Cornsoft Group in 1981. A version for the TRS-80 Color Computer followed in 1982 as Color Scarfman. Oliver also wrote the Enhanced BASIC Compiler for the TRS-80 Model III and 4.
Scarfman
- Date
- 1981
- Genre
- maze video game
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Documentary summary
Scarfman is a clone of Pac-Man written by Philip A. Oliver for the TRS-80 computer and published by The Cornsoft Group in 1981. A version for the TRS-80 Color Computer followed in 1982 as Color Scarfman. Oliver also wrote the Enhanced BASIC Compiler for the TRS-80 Model III and 4.
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wikidata · Q56276933
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Scarfman • Publisher — The Cornsoft Group • Designer — Philip A. Oliver • Platforms — TRS-80, TRS-80 Color Computer • Released — 1981: TRS-80 1982: CoCo • Genre — Maze
Gameplay
Gameplay
The player controls Scarfman, eating the dots in a maze filled with them along with five power capsules, avoiding the five monsters that roam the maze. Unlike Pac-Man, there are five monsters instead of four. Eating a power pill causes monsters to lower their eyes, indicating that they're vulnerable. The eyes shift to the normal position when the pill's effect wears off. In Color Scarfman, eating a power pill causes the ghosts to remain vulnerable—indicated by turning blue—until eaten or the level ends.
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- United States
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Scarfman is associated with United States.
Country
Reception
Dan Ekblaw reviewed Scarfman in The Space Gamer number 54. Ekblaw commented that "Overall, I would say that Scarfmans defects outweigh its good points by far. I've found that this game loses its novelty after a few weeks and will spend the rest of its days sitting on a shelf". In a 2012 retrospective, Gamasutra wrote that the "chirp-chirp-chirp chomping sound effect is maddening. But it does play like Pac-Man, more or less".
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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