Back in 1982 there was an arcade game called Pengo (developed by Coreland, published by Sega). It's set in a maze like Pac-man, but you're a penguin trying to avoid blob creatures called sno-bees. You push ice blocks to slide them into the enemies, crushing them. Like any good old-school arcade game, it's simple yet challenging.

This arcade game was ported to old Atari systems, as well as the Sega Game Gear (where it was one of three launch titles in Japan). I get the feeling it was a bigger hit in Japan than it was elsewhere, because thirteen years after the arcade game, a sequel was released there exclusively: Pepenga Pengo, for the Sega Mega Drive. It was the last game Sega made for that system in Japan.

Pepenga Pengo basically takes the concept of the arcade game and turns it into a Bomberman clone. The end result is actually quite good.

The biggest difference between the two games, of course, is how you kill the enemies. In Bomberman you place bombs and run away before they release explosive bursts of fire in four directions. Meanwhile in Pengo you create blocks of ice (which take a couple seconds to form) and then kick them in some direction toward an enemy, hopefully squishing it against a wall or other obstacle. Most levels also have arrow markers that redirect ice blocks in other directions, giving the player more creative options to work with. You can also try to kick three special diamond blocks together, giving a fun but optional "puzzle-solving" element to the game that rewards you by clearing all the enemies on-screen.

Pepenga Pengo has ten worlds, each of which features three stages and a boss. There's some nice variety to the gimmicks in each level, and the game just looks nice in general. Co-op and versus modes are available too, just like in Bomberman. I think my only really big issue with this one is that the penguin you control is large and cumbersome, and gets caught on the corners of obstacles too easily. Felt like I got killed way too many times when I was getting out of the way of some enemy, but couldn't quite slip by. Something you just have to get used to.

Is there any hope for Pengo to return one day? Probably not. But at least there's this game--and hey, it's a good one! I'll go ahead and call it a hidden gem for the system.