Pac-Mania is a variation on the game Pac-Man. You need to guide Pac-Man around a maze and eat all of the dots on the board to proceed on to the next round. Numerous, multi-colored ghosts also roam the maze trying to stop you. If you eat one of the power pellets in the maze, the ghosts will temporarily turn blue and run from you. Pac-Man can earn bonus points by eating the ghosts when they are in this state. The maze is now shown in isometric perspective and is larger than the screen which will scroll to follow the action. To help get out of tight spots, Pac-Man can now jump. But be careful, because some of the ghosts have learned this trick as well and you could end up in a mid-air collision!
The gameplay of Pac-Mania is fast-paced and challenging. You need to navigate through the maze, avoid the ghosts, and eat the pellets while avoiding getting hit by the ghosts. The power pellets add an extra layer of strategy as you can only use them to turn the ghosts blue for a short time before they return to normal. As you progress through the levels, the maze becomes increasingly difficult and the ghosts become faster and more aggressive.