Pac-Man

Pac-Man is a maze-chase arcade game with single-player and alternating two-player modes. The player controls Pac-Man, a yellow circular character who must navigate an enclosed maze while eating small dots scattered along its paths. The objective in each stage is to clear the maze of all dots while avoiding four ghosts that pursue Pac-Man through the corridors. As the player progresses, the maze layout remains the same, but the game becomes more difficult as ghost behavior, speed, and vulnerability periods change. The maze also includes side tunnels that connect the left and right edges of the screen. These tunnels can be used to escape danger, as ghosts move more slowly through them than Pac-Man.

The four ghosts each follow distinct movement patterns that affect how they chase the player. Blinky, the red ghost, tends to pursue Pac-Man directly. Pinky, the pink ghost, attempts to position itself ahead of Pac-Man. Inky, the blue ghost, uses a more complex pattern based partly on Pac-Man’s position and Blinky’s location, making its movement less predictable. Clyde, the orange ghost, alternates between approaching Pac-Man and moving away or patrolling. Their movement also alternates between periods of pursuit and brief scatter phases, during which they retreat toward different corners of the maze before resuming the chase. Contact with any ghost while it is dangerous costs Pac-Man a life, and the game ends when all lives are lost.