The seminal and hugely influential arcade game in which the player guides the legendary Pac-Man (or 'Puckman', as he was originally known in Japan) around a single-screen maze eating dots. Pac-Man is constantly pursued in his task by four ghosts - Blinky (red ghost, originally known in Japan as 'Akabei'), Pinky (pink ghost), Inky (cyan ghost, Japanese : 'Aosuke'), and Clyde (orange ghost, Japanese : 'Guzuta'). Each ghost has its own unique personality and behavioural patterns and a single touch from any of the ghosts results in Pac-Man losing a life. The number of lives Pac-Man starts with depends on the 'Lives' dip switch setting (1, 2, 3, or 5; the default is 3). When all of Pac-Man's lives are lost, the game is over.
Power pills are situated in each corner of the rectangular maze and eating one of these makes Pac-Man temporarily invincible; the four ghosts also change to dark blue in color and can now be eaten by Pac-Man. These 'skinned' ghosts, now visible as a pair of eyes only, will then return to the ghost pen in the middle of the maze, regenerate into their former selves, and return to the maze to continue their pursuit of Pac-Man.
Each maze contains 240 dots and 4 Power Pills, and all must be eaten to complete the level; whereupon the entire sequence begins again with an increased level of difficulty.
Twice in every level, a bonus fruit or prize item will temporarily appear in the middle of the maze below the ghost pen. Pac-Man can eat these bonus items to receive extra points. Also, there is an escape tunnel on each side of the maze that Pac-Man can use to escape any ghosts that are currently closing in on him. The ghosts can also use the tunnel, but take longer to pass through it than Pac-Man, making escape a little easier.
Between certain rounds, funny intermissions will be played featuring Pac-Man and Blinky in funny situations. 3 intermissions are present:
1) Blinky chases Pac-Man across the screen and off the side. Then he re-appears running in the opposite direction, having turned blue, followed by a giant Pac-Man! This intermission is played after Round 2.
2) Blinky is again chasing Pac-Man, but this time he rips his red sheet on a nail on the ground, and we can see his pink body under the sheet! This intermission is played after Round 5.
3) Blinky chases Pac-Man across the screen once more, this time with his sheet sewn. They disappear at the left side and then Blinky reappears coming back the opposite direction. This time he is bare and drags his sheet behind him. This intermission is played after Round 9, 13 and 17.
No intermission is present between rounds after the 18th one.
Game description from www.arcade-history.com
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