Every zip file is standalone. If you want to play Ms. Pac-Man , the zip contains everything it needs, including files from the original Pac-Man . This is the best choice for beginners.
You cannot just guess if a ROM works. You need a ROM manager. MAME 2003 Reference Set - MAME 0.078 ROMs- CHDs...
MAME 0.78 Reference Set/ ├── roms/ │ ├── pacman.zip │ ├── sf2.zip │ ├── neogeo.zip │ ├── ... │ └── (approx 9,000 .zip files) ├── chds/ │ ├── kinst/ │ │ └── kinst.chd │ ├── dragonlair/ │ │ └── dragonlair.chd │ └── ... ├── samples/ │ ├── dkong.zip │ ├── galaxian.zip │ └── ... └── mame078b.exe (optional – original MAME executable) Every zip file is standalone