'Pac-Man,' meet 'Zork'

"You have been attacked by a cyan ghost! You pass out and awake minutes later back where you began."

You might not remember it this way, but you--and probably everyone you know--has almost certainly had this experience, though in a different manifestation.

It's Pac-Man. Except instead of controlling your little yellow iconic character around a maze of dots and colored ghosts, this is Pac-Txt, a text version of the famous video game that recalls the old glory days of Infocom games like Zork and Leather Goddesses of Phobos.

A hilarious blend of 'Pac-Man' and 'Zork,' 'Pac-Txt' is an interactive fiction version of the iconic classic video game.

(Credit: Namco Bandai)

I found the site after stopping in on one of my favorite link blogs, Waxy.org/links, and I just had to try it.

The truth is, I was never much good at the Infocom games, and that proved to be the case here, as well. I stumbled through a few moves before I found myself staring at the result that started this story off. Oof. One life gone and very little to show for it.

But, come on. Who could resist a notion as fantastic as Pac-Txt?

I wondered what the genesis of this had been, and lo and behold, the site told me:

"I had just got back from a party where the concept of a Pac-Man + Zork hybrid came up as a joke. So, being 2am with a little alcohol in my system, I thought it'd be funny to code it up."

And code it up, he or she did. And it's here for our playing pleasure.

I recommend having a little patience, though. It may be some time before you find a way to do anything besides smack into walls or get eaten by abstract ghost characters.