Lady Bug

Leave yourself a way back

Pushing through a turnstile changes the route behind Lady Bug as well as the route ahead. A hurried escape can redirect the pursuit, but it can also leave an awkward return trip for the last few dots. The fixed skulls add another obstruction to remember. Collecting letters and hearts creates reasons to hesitate when survival suggests moving on. Because the player can rearrange the passages, success depends on leaving a useful maze behind each visit.

Practise moving one gate while watching the corridor it closes. A detour can be safer than a quick reversal through the same opening. Use an easier skill setting until the controller’s directional changes feel predictable, then work on collecting bonuses without dismantling your escape route.

A conversion noticed in 1982

Universal’s arcade game dates to 1981; the ColecoVision release followed in the United States in 1982. Video Game Update’s October 1982 review singled out the turnstiles and recommended the conversion. That contemporary response fits the feature that still gives this selection its strongest argument: the maze is something the player can actively alter.