Maze-game control question

If the game really is like Pacman, then the maze is on a grid, in which case the fastest/easiest thing is to have a 2D array that represents the maze, and you get available directions from the array. For example, Realmaze3D has no colliders, raycasting, or anything like that, just a 3D array of integers.

I would go with RayCasting.

Check out the scripting reference here:

http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/ScriptReference/Physics.Raycast.html

For example this:

function Update () {
var hit : RaycastHit;
if (Physics.Raycast (transform.position, transform.forward, hit, 2.0)) {
print ("There is an object in front of the player");
}
}

This will detect if there is an object 2 metres in front of the player and print the line "There is an object in front of the player" to the debug console.

You could have 4 raycasts. The one above for forward, and 3 more for your other directions (just change the transform.forward part of the raycast to cast the ray in the other directions).

Finally for debugging you can use the DrawRay Class to actually visualise the RayCast:

http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/ScriptReference/Debug.DrawRay.html

I haven't given you the exact script you need here, just a few nods in the right direction. It''s easier to learn this way :-)

Sorry for closing this so late, but I've since built and completed a working and efficient system. I could have created the X/Z array, but in this instance I've created 'if' statements detecting the player location (if transform.position.x == 0 && transform.position.z == 3) etc. instead. I suppose the reason I didn't go with the array was multimensional array support seems a bit weird in Unity.