Yes, Virginia, there are other maze-chase games besides Pac-Man. Serpentine is a brand new game from Broderbund Software and it doesn't look or play like Pac-Man at all. It adds an excellent new touch to maze-chase games - you don't have to clear the maze of dots, all you have to do is kill enemy serpents in a room.

You kill serpents by hitting them head on, providing you are longer than they are. How do you become longer than your opponent? You either eat a frog - which will make you one segment longer - or attack an enemy serpent from the rear, which will make him shorter. Much shorter. When you attack from the rear, size doesn't matter at all. What matters is your ability to avoid the serpent's friends and your skill with the joystick.

When you attack a smaller serpent from the front, your serpent gains the number of segments your opponent had, up to a maximum of seven. To add more interest to the game, you and your enemy serpents lay eggs. Each time you lay an egg, you lose one segment. If they are allowed to hatch, they become little two-segment friendly or unfriendly serpents, depending on who laid the egg. The unfriendlies can eat your eggs, just as you can eat theirs. They can also eat frogs and receive the same benefits from these amphibious snacks as you do.

The game's overall quality is excellent - the graphics are sharp and the sound effects are fun. For example, the serpents sound like freight trains. You're also able to keep current as well as all-time high scores. My only complaint is that you are not given any degree of control over when or how or where you get to lay an egg. It is rather inconvenient to be chasing somebody who is one segment shorter than you are, and then lay an egg and inadvertently become the same length as he is. And guess who wins all ties? But who ever said nature was fair?

Stay as close to the top or bottom of the screen as you can - that's where the frogs come out. Get them before your enemies do and before they eat your eggs.