Van-Van Car

Arcade

A status of release where the game has gone gold. Typically this is referred to as 1.0.

Full Release

Van-Van Car is an arcade game that was released by Sanritsu, in 1983, and licensed to Karateco for EU manufacture and distribution; as with Dream Shopper and Dr. Micro, it runs on Namco's Pac-Man hardware (a Zilog Z80, running at 3.072 MHz), but with two Texas Instruments SN-76496s running at 1.78975 MHz for sound. The flyer may give the impression that it uses an isometric perspective but it uses the same overhead view as the first six Pac-Man titles - and, the player must use a 4-directional joystick to take control of a yellow racer car (the eponymous "Van-Van Car"), which is on a mission to burst balloons with its front-mounted spike while watching out for the three "killer" cars (which are red, green, and blue, so the last one looks somewhat like an evil version of the car from Namco's Rally-X).

Each normal balloon burst will be worth 200 points, regardless of colour; also, if you press that "Jump Button", Van-Van Car will jump into the air, and every time it jumps over one of the killer cars, you will receive 100 points. However, if Van-Van Car should land on one of the killer cars, it will (ironically) be killed just as if it had crashed into one - and when there are only eight balloons left, a "bonus" balloon will appear in that maze. Once you burst it, you will receive 500 points for every regular balloon left in that maze (so the maximum amount of points you can receive for doing so is 4000); also, if you burst an "energy" (yellow) balloon, Van-Van Car will gain a missile. Once you press the Jump Button while in possession of it, Van-Van Car will fire it - and it will destroy any balloons (and killer cars) it ploughs through, for 200 and 1000 points respectively. It is also not advisable to burst another energy balloon until you have fired the missile as Van-Van Car can only hold one at a time, and the killer cars cannot pass over the balloons and will be forced to go around them; the killer cars will also not chase directly after Van-Van Car immediately and will only do so after a preset number of balloons have been burst or a preset amount of time has passed. Finally, Van-Van Car will start spinning around in a clockwise direction at twice its normal speed when it passes over an oil slick - and even though it loses its jump power, it will quickly be able to get away from the killer cars, especially when they are close behind it.

Steps to reproduce, what you expected to happen, and what actually happened...

Title is required

You haven't submitted any bug reports yet. Found an issue? Use the button in the bottom-right corner to report it.

No bug reports yet

My Bug Reports

Report a Bug

Title

Briefly describe the bug...

Untitled

Help us understand how the site is used so we can improve it.

We use our own and third-party cookies to improve your browsing experience, analyze site usage and personalize content.

Essential for the site to function: authentication, language and visual theme.

Allow us to remember your preferences and personalize your experience.

Choose which types of cookies you want to accept. Necessary cookies cannot be disabled as they are essential for the site to function.

Cookie settings

Choose a Cover

Price drop!

Best offers

Alternative Titles

Subtitles

Regional Titles

All Terrain

Archaeologist

Archivist

Backlog Guru

Rookie Collector

Connector

Conqueror

Constructive Critic

Curator

Dedication

Editorial Legend

First Cartridge

First Impression

Follower

Full Shelf

Gameplay Master

Genre Explorer

Golden Display

Golden Pen

Get one of your lists to receive 10 or more visits.

Influencer

Level 10

Level 25

Master Collector

Multiplatform

Museum Legend

No Prejudice

Organizer

100%

Physical Present

Platformer

Puzzle Solver

Real Shelf

Serious Library

Sincere

The End

Time Traveler

Veteran Hero

Voice of the People

Welcome

You reached

You are now {title}!

{username}'s Gamification

XP History

{count} games tagged with {keyword} on Shelve·ly. Shelve the ones you paused, mark the ones you finished.

Games tagged with {keyword} on Shelve·ly. Shelve the ones you paused, mark the ones you finished.

Games tagged {keyword}

Similar Games

Trending Keywords

Review title

What did you think of the game?

Add to collection

Name

My Collection

Game lists

Describe the games you want to include using natural language

Create Smart List

Modify the prompt to get a new AI result. The list filters and games will be updated.

Regenerate smart list

Lists

Achievement unlocked!

You have achieved {tierTitle}. Keep it up!

You reached level {level}!

My Notifications

Notifications

You have accumulated {xp} XP. You are doing great!

XP Milestone

The platform you're looking for doesn't exist or has been removed.

Browse and discover {name} platform, its commercial versions, and video games on Shelve·ly. Filter by genre, rating and year.

{name}

Description

The variation you are looking for does not exist.

Platform variation

The platform version you are looking for does not exist.

Platform version

Discover the most notable reviews and opinions about video games

Edit review

The review must be at least 50 characters

Your review has been published successfully

Your review has been updated successfully

Title (optional)

Write a review

Try different search terms or adjust the filters

Search games

Explore games and add the ones that interest you most

Platforms

Links

Release Dates

Van-Van Car

Description

Similar Games

Community reviews