Geek Gestalt

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November 5, 2007 4:53 PM PST

'Pac-Man,' meet 'Zork'

by Daniel Terdiman
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"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.

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About Geek Gestalt

Daniel Terdiman, uniquely positioned to take you into the middle of another side of technology, chronicles his explorations of the "fun beat," from cultural phenomena such as Burning Man to cutting-edge aircraft to game conventions.

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