If You Need to Stop for Directions, Ask Pac-Man?

You might find yourself more distracted than usual when planning your trip to that new restaurant your wife has been talking about. Google Maps has turned its maps, including that of Boston, into a game of “Pac-Man.”

In case you’re unfamiliar, Namco’s “Pac-Man” is an iconic 1980 arcade game that helped transform video games from a niche culture into an accessible pastime for kids and adults alike. Finally there was something to do when waiting for your pies at the pizzeria- and it only took minutes to learn how to play.

As Pac-Man you avoids ghosts Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde in hopes of collecting the Pac-Dots spread across a map. The larger yellow blips are called Power Pellets. When Pac-Man chomps a Power Pellet he gains the ability to attack the ghosts for a brief period of time.

Unique to Google’s adaptation is the option to play on the maps of different, existent areas. To up the ante, recommendations of which landmarks to try are given by way of trivia-esque clues:

• Don’t drop the ball on the eve of your victory!
• Triumph is délicieux.
• Chomp your way to independence down seven lanes of July.
• Pause game play to admire Chagall’s stained glass windows and have a bit of chocolate.
• Previous Pac-Man lives don’t get to rest in a white marble mausoleum.
• Head to the valley of the sun and earn your grade in the art of the game.
• Victory is like gothic glockenspiel musik to our ears.

In the heyday of the game starring a yellow blob, a player’s skill level was reflected by his or her high score. The ghosts in “Pac-Man” are worth either 200, 400, 800 or 1600 points.

Earn your bragging rights by opening Google Maps and then pressing the Pac-Man icon in the lower left corner.

Google’s execution of this creative idea is in the spirit of April Fools’ Day, which is April 1, so try it before the holiday or the joke may be on you.

Image: Google Maps