~ pac-man ~ ~ faq/strategy guide ~ ~copywright marcus hanshew 2006~ version 1.0 last update: 19 July, 2006 Welcome, everyone, to my guide for the arcade game Pac-Man. Pac-Man is probably the most important arcade game ever. Well, to me at least. At one time, every gamer's goal was to be a Pac-Man champion. For those of us still chasing that dream, or for those of us who are just now starting to dream, this guide will help you learn everything you need to know about Pac-Man. So, with that out of the way, let's get to the table of contents! Quick find: You can use the FIND function to find any main heading or main heading's subheading in this guide. If you don't know about copy, paste, or find, just follow these instructions: * Highlight an entire line that starts with a roman numeral or capital letter. * Press CONTROL + C on your keyboard. This copies the line to your clipboard. * Press CONTROL + F on your keyboard. This brings up your FIND function. * Press CONTROL + V on your keyboard. This pastes the clipboard to the FIND. * Press ENTER on your keyboard. This begins the search. < (< . . . . . > << TABLE OF CONTENTS >> I. Rules of Pac-Man A. How to Play B. Rules C. Power Pellets D. Fruit E. Warp Tunnels II. Scoring III. Strategy Guide A. Basic Strategy B. Ghost Movement Patterns 1. Ghost personalities 2. One-way zones 3. Scatter and attack 4. Cruise Elroy 5. Using movement patterns advantageously 6. Blinking patterns C. Pac-Man's Movement Patterns D. Fruit Appearance E. Round Information Chart F. Strategy Notes IV. Extras A. Cinemas B. Original Japanese Names C. The Ghostless Spot D. Round 256 V. Dip Switch Settings VI. FAQ VII. High Scores VIII. Legal Disclaimer, etc. *************************** *** I. Rules of Pac-Man *** *************************** < (< . . . . . > << A. How to Play >> The purpose of the game is to eat all the Pac-Dots from each maze while avoiding the attacks of four ghosts. When all the Pac-Dots are eaten up, Pac-Man can proceed to the next round. Simply push the joystick in the direction you want Pac-Man to move. If you hold the joystick in a direction that is blocked by a wall, Pac-Man will continue to move in the direction he is going until he reaches an opening where he can turn that direction. Use this to turn corners as soon as you reach them. < (< . . > << B. Rules >> * If you touch a ghost, Pac-Man will lose one life. You will not lose a life if you are powered up by a Power Pellet, in which you will eat the ghost instead. * The game is over when all lives are lost. * An extra life is awarded at 10,000 points (You can change this value with the dip switches). < (< . . . . . > << C. Power Pellets >> Chomp down on a Power Pellet and Pac-Man will have the power to eat ghosts. When a Power Pellet is eaten, the ghosts change to a dark blue color for a short time. The ghosts start flashing before they turn back to their normal color, so watch out! After a ghost has been eaten, its eyes return to the Ghost Home, then the ghost is regenerated. The more ghosts Pac-Man eats in succession, the more points they are worth. < (< . . . > << D. Fruit >> Fruit appears twice in each maze. Munch these for bonus points. The more mazes you complete, the more the fruit is worth. < (< . . . . . > << E. Warp Tunnels >> Go through these tunnels and Pac-Man will appear out on the other side of the maze. Use them to slow down a ghost that's hot on your tail. ******************* *** II. Scoring *** ******************* Here are the point values for the various things you can eat in the game: Pac-Dot .................. 10 Power Pellet ............. 50 * If you manage to eat more than one ghost in one Power Pellet, you will get more score for each consecutive ghost. Here are the values for the ghost chain: 1st Ghost ................ 200 2nd Ghost ................ 400 3rd Ghost ................ 800 4th Ghost ................1600 * Fruits continue to change and increase in value as you advance in rounds. Here are the values for the fruits (the number before each fruit is the round in which in begins appearing): 01/Cherry ................ 100 02/Strawberry ............ 300 03/Orange ................ 500 05/Apple ................. 700 07/Melon .................1000 09/Boss Galaxian .........2000 11/Bell ..................3000 13/Key ...................5000 *************************** *** III. Strategy Guide *** *************************** < (< . . . . . . > << A. Basic Strategy >> Remember that your goal in Pac-Man is not to advance through the stages as quickly as possible, but to get a high score. So your primary goal to complete a stage is, yes, to eat all the dots, but the primary goal to getting a high score is not. You'll want to stay on each maze and get as many points as you can before eating the last dot. Now, this doesn't mean that just sitting around gets you points, but being hasty can cost you points by missing out on fruit and ghost bonuses. Each maze has two fruit and four power pellets. Your goal is to eat both fruits and all four ghosts with each power pellet. That's 16 ghosts in all, leaving your ghost bonus at 12,000 points. With eating all the dots and fruits, the minimum max score on a maze is 14,800 points. After the first round, the fruits will be worth even more, and you can get even higher scores on each level. Getting the fruit is not too difficult. Sometimes the ghosts will keep driving you away from it, so it's helpful to understand when and how the fruit appears. See the fruit section later in this strategy guide for more information. To get all four ghosts with one power pellet, you can't just run after then after eating a power pellet. You'll need to lure them to the power pellet and then eat it. Beginning players will just sit by a power pellet until the ghosts wander to it, then try to eat them. The problem with this idea is that not all of the ghosts may wander to that side of the maze, and you may get stuck with the power pellet and only one or two ghosts near you because you were forced to eat it to escape. Spend your time eating dots while the ghosts wander. Use the warp tunnels to your advantage, and try to get the ghosts to chase you. When all the ghosts are around one area of the maze, go to the nearest power pellet. If all the ghosts follow, get ready to eat. If only a couple follow, you may want to escape and try again later. Now that you understand the score, let's look more closely at the maze. Divide the maze in your head into four equal sections. Each of these quadrants has a power pellet. There is the ghost home in the center, and Pac-Man's starting position just below that. The eastiest places to get trapped are the corners and along the bottom strips (because you are without a place to turn for that long). Luckily, there are power pellets in each of these areas (though not in the center's bottom.) It helps to make sure all four ghosts are in one quadrant before eating a power pellet. You need to remember that they'll start to run away once you eat it, so one that is near but close to the ghost home could easily escape. Also, try not to eat ghosts if it looks like a ghost can run to the ghost home. The eyes will float there and regenerate, and the new ghost will block you from eating the ghost you want to eat. If you have enough time, grab the ghosts that could run to the ghost home first, then the other ghosts. It is also helpful to eat the power pellet while a ghost is entering the warp tunnel, but not once it is more than halfway through. Clearing dots will get you to the next stage. Once you've eaten all the power pellets and fruits, you'll want to advance to the next stage so you can score points. This means you'll want the remaining dots to be easy to eat. Don't leave dots scattered everywhere. Try to clear each quadrant of all dots before eating the power pellet from another quadrant. Once you eat a power pellet and all the ghosts, go "clean up" the quadrant the power pellet was from and make sure there are no leftover dots. Then you may eat dots while staying far away from ghosts until they are bunched up and you want to lure them again. Don't make risks for the earlier fruits. Once you get to bells and keys, though, you'll want to try your best to eat them. Never go after a fruit if it is a sure death. Saving a life is a chance to get 2 fruits in the next maze. If you are sure you will lose your life on a particular maze and won't be able to continue because it is your final life, try to eat a power pellet just before each fruit appears so you can nab them; fruits are your biggest point- makers, especially on levels when eating all the ghosts is nearly impossible. For more information on when fruit appears, see the fruit section of this strategy guide. This is your basic strategy for each maze; however, it is not enough to get the top scores. You'll need to learn and understand the movement of Pac-Man and the ghosts, the appearance of fruit, and all the game mechanisms if you want to master Pac-Man. < (< . . . . . . . . > << B. Ghost Movement Patterns >> There are four ghosts in Pac-Man. Here are their "personalities:" -------- * BLINKY * -------- Color :Red Character:Shadow Movement :Fast, chasing Blinky is the fastest of all the ghosts. In the beginning, he is the same speed as the other ghosts. Later, he becomes as fast as Pac-Man. Wanders aimlessly until Pac-Man is close, then goes in for the kill. Blinky also is the hardest ghost to escape from, not only because he is fast, but because he will constantly fight instead of shying away. At the beginning of the round, Blinky heads for the top-right corner of the maze. ------- * PINKY * ------- Color :Pink Character:Speedy Movement :Normal, intercepting. Pinky moves at a steady pace, wandering until Pac-Man is close. She will not give direct chase; however, she will try to cut Pac-Man off by catching up to him at a later intersection. When other ghosts are chasing Pac-Man, this means Pinky can easily trap you. At the start of each round, Pinky will head for the top-left corner. ------ * INKY * ------ Color :Cyan Character:Bashful Movement :Normal, chasing, fleeing. Inky is the smartest of the ghosts and seems to be able to find Pac-Man the easiest. He can sense Pac-Man's "scent" from further than the others. However, making many sharp turns near him can make him stop chasing. When each round begins, Inky will head to the bottom- right corner of the maze. ------- * CLYDE * ------- Color :Orange Character:Pokey Movement :Normal, random. Technically, Clyde's movement isn't random. The way he will move is based on Pac-Man's position in the maze, but he has no desire to chase Pac-Man. If you study Clyde enough, you will notice that he will move the same way when certain positions are set up. At the beginning of each stage, Clyde will attempt to go to the bottom-left corner of the maze, but this could be thrown off by Pac-Man's position when the "randomizer" kicks in. ------------------- * THE ONE-WAY ZONES * ------------------- Right above the ghost home, there are two pathways leading upward to the rest of the maze. The ghosts cannot travel upward through these holes; they can only exit the area around the ghost home from the sides or bottom. They can, however, enter the area around the ghost home from here. Keep this in mind when you are trying to avoid ghosts. ------------------ * SCATTER & ATTACK * ------------------ The ghosts in Pac-Man will wander if Pac-Man is far, but there are certain points in each round in which the ghosts will retreat. The creator of Pac-Man designed the game this way because being under constant attack is not only too stressful, but also unnatural. So, the ghosts in Pac-Man operate on two modes: Scatter and Attack. In Scatter mode, the ghosts will hide from Pac-Man, perhaps to catch their breath or to think up a new plan. In Attack mode, the ghosts will hunt down Pac-Man if they can find him. Each ghost has a respective corner in which they will move to during Scatter mode. When the maze starts, the ghosts will move to that corner. This also shows that ghosts begin the stage in Scatter mode. Each round, the player is given four Scatter mode breaks. The first one begins at the beginning of the round. After each Scatter mode, there is a 20-second Attack mode for the ghosts. The first two Scatter modes are seven seconds long, and the second two Scatter modes are five seconds long. After the last Scatter mode, the ghosts will constantly attack until Pac-Man advances to the next round or loses a life to a ghost. When Pac-Man loses a life to a ghost, he is re-placed in the center of the maze to try again. When this happens, the ghosts are also re-placed in the Ghost Home, and you are given another four Scatter modes, starting right away with the first at another seven seconds of Scatter. Sometimes, Blinky will continue to pursue Pac-Man even while Scatter mode is active. This is linked to Cruise Elroy: the shift in Blinky's speed, which brings us to the next section: -------------- * CRUISE ELROY * -------------- No one seems to know where the term "Cruise Elroy" originated, but it is the common term used to refer to Blinky's change in speed. Once a certain number of dots are remaining in the maze to be eaten by Pac-Man, Blinky's speed will increase to a step higher than it was at the beginning of the maze. This is called Cruise Elroy. For information on how many dots will be left when Blinky goes Cruise Elroy, check the round information chart a little later in this guide. ------------------------------- * USING THESE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE * ------------------------------- Knowing these movement patterns, you can not only escape from the ghosts more effeciently, but also you can help them chase you to a power pellet. A good idea is to get Inky on your tail, since he can chase you from the farthest away, then go to where Clyde is but pass next to Blinky and Pinky on your way. While this is a good idea, the chances of you getting the ghosts in a good position for this and also escaping them all long enough is slim. Just make sure that you know the patterns, and if they ever are set up with Inky chasing you to where you could pass through Blinky and Pinky to Clyde near a power pellet, go for it! Most of the time, you won't be able to get the ghosts to chase you to where you want, and in later rounds, you're not going to be trying to eat them anyway. This is when you need to be able to fake the ghosts out. It takes a lot of playing to get the hang of it, but Pinky and Inky won't always move directly to where Pac-Man is, but try to get to him later. Making a quick turn into an area to turn around a small portion of maze and head back the way you came can send Pinky and Blinky chasing in the wrong direction. Memroize the patterns of the ghosts' movement and make sure you can escape. Also, if two ghosts are trapping you in a corner, try to stay alive as long as possible. There is always a chance that one ghost will turn away (especially Inky) or the game may glitch and you could pass right through the ghosts! When you start the maze, remember that you have seven seconds before the ghosts will actively pursue you. Make sure that you make good gobbling in this time, and make sure when Attack mode begins, you are not right next to a group of ghosts. One last note, even though it is pretty obvious: Ghosts will slow down very drastically in the warp tunnels. Use them to escape ghosts and to catch blue ghosts when you eat a power pellet. ------------------------------- * MORE ABOUT THE GHOST PATTERNS * ------------------------------- Note that there is more to the ghost patterns than just their movement. The amount of time they stay blue and how many times they flash before stopping being blue after you eat a power pellet varies by stage. Check the maze info in the round information section to see the specifics on this. < (< . . . . . . . . . . . > << C. Pac-Man's Movement Patterns >> There are a few notes about Pac-Man's movement that you should know before you try to get the best scores. It's not as complex as the ghost movements, mostly because there is only one Pac-Man. So keep these things in mind as you play: * Each dot you eat makes you stop for just a very short time. This makes Pac- Man move approx 18-20 per cent slower while he is eating dots. * When you eat a power pellet, Pac-Man's speed is increased about 15 per cent or so until the ghosts stop flashing. The ghosts also slow down. * Pac-Man can turn corners faster than the ghosts can, so turning many corners can help you escape ghosts (Also, it can scare Inky and cause the other ghosts to "lose your scent.") Keep these movements in mind as you play. Use them to your advantage. < (< . . . . . . . > << D. Fruit Appearance >> There isn't much to this short section, but the fruits do not appear at random. They appear after a certain number of dots have been eaten. The first is around 68 dots (I don't know the exact number) but it is when around 1/3 of the dots have been eaten. The second fruit appears when around 1/3 or 1/4 of the dots are left on the stage. Using this knowledge to your advantage, plan to be around the starting position (where the fruits appear) without any ghosts in the way when the fruit appears so you can munch it easily. < (< . . . . . . . . . > << E. Round Information Chart >> The following information is basically reference for advanced players. Each round differs a little in the speed of ghosts and Pac-Man, and things like that. For appearance of fruit, check the SCORING part of the RULES section. The headings mean: ROUND : The round number. PAC-SPEED: Speed of Pac-Man. Ranked 1 to 4; 1 is slowest. B-SPEED : Speed of Blinky. Ranked 1 to 4; 1 is slowest. G-SPEED : Speed of Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. Ranked 1 to 3; 1 is slowest. POWER : Time (in seconds) that ghosts stay blue before flashing. FLASH : Number of times the ghosts flash before returning to normal. ELROY : Number of dots left in maze when Cruise Elroy occurs. _______________________________________________________________ / PAC-MAN ROUND INFORMATION CHART \ |-------------------------------------------------------|-------| | ROUND | PAC-SPEED | B-SPEED | G-SPEED | POWER | FLASH | ELROY | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 30 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 40 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 40 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 40 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 50 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 50 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 50 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 13 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 14 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 15 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 16 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 17 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | 19+ | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 60 | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| | ROUND | PAC-SPEED | B-SPEED | G-SPEED | POWER | FLASH | ELROY | |-------|-----------|---------|---------|-------|-------|-------| \_______________________________________________________________/ So what can we learn from this chart? Well, notice that round 6 is actually easier than round 5 because the ghosts stay blue for an extended 3 seconds. After round 6, however, they return back to 0 seconds. Round 10 is also like this. This means that round 6 and 10 are short breaks that you can use to munch on extra ghosts to boost your score. After that, though, you don't get much of a break. Round 17 will show you the most difficult setting, and then you get round 18 as a very small break (watching ghosts flash three times isn't that much of a break, but it's a LOT easier than getting NOTHING for eating the power pellet.) After round 18, you're going to have to rely on dodging and eating fruits to gain points. Just try to clear the stages as quickly as you can while eating at least one fruit per stage, both if you can make it. Good luck with your Pac-Man efforts! < (< . . . . . . > << F. Strategy Notes >> Here are some quick strategy notes. Try to keep all of these things in mind while playing a game of Pac-Man: * Go for score, not for rounds comlpeted. * Always know where all four ghosts are. Try to watch the ghosts more than Pac-Man. * Know if the ghosts will stay blue before flashing. Know how many flashes they will flash and count each time they flash, making sure you know exactly when they'll turn back. Even if you don't need to count, just keep doing it so that you get in the habit of counting every time. * Learn how fast Pac-Man moves so you can feel if you'll have enough time to make it to a power pellet, a blue ghost, or if you should just turn away or duck into a warp tunnel. * Abuse the warp tunnels. A lot of players will ignore them unless they need to escape. Even if you're not in danger, you can still use it to get to the other side. It also helps get the ghosts near or away from you. Use them a lot, not just for escaping. Don't run in if a ghost is waiting on the other end, of course! * Know your fruits. Earlier fruits aren't worth the effort if you'll put your Pac-Man in danger. * Find a good starting route. Make a way that you know you can clear a bunch of dots without getting hit, and be in safety. Good starting routes also include picking up a fruit. There have been routes developed that can get you through the whole maze without getting hit, but they don't always include eating all four ghosts, and they are difficult to memorize, and also ruin the excitement of the game. * Know your ghosts. Read the guide to the ghosts' movements and learn how to dodge them. Beginners make a lot of errors because they'll turn away from ghosts that are most likely not chasing them or not going to chase them. This wastes time and makes Pac-Man run around, not clearing the desired dots. * Try to clear each quadrant fully, and then move on to the next. Don't eat your second power pellet before all the dots in the quadrant of the first have been eaten (or unless you are forced). * Try to be near the fruits when they appear, especially in a way that no ghosts will be after the fruit, too! * After round 10, focus more on survival than trying to eat a lot of ghosts. You'll be getting good fruit by now, so try to eat all the fruits and stay alive. * Don't panic. Ghosts can suddenly run away, so try to stay alive even when you're trapped. Every last moment is worth it. Don't ever give up and run into a ghost when you get trapped. Wiggling the joystick/controls could cause Inky to turn away, and Clyde might randomly run away. Sometimes the game glitches and you even move right through the ghosts! This tends to happen the most in the areas that start with no dots, especially where the fruit is. But don't rely on the game to glitch; it never happens when you actually want it to. ****************** *** IV. Extras *** ****************** < (< . . . > << A. Cinemas >> There are three cinemas that occur during a game of Pac-Man. These are also called "intermissions." The first cinema occurs after round 2. In this cinema, Blinkey chases Pac-Man off the side of the screen. Then we see Blinkey in his vulnerable, blue state as he runs back onto the screen. Chasing behind him is a giant Pac-Man! The second cinema occurs after round 5. Blinkey is again chasing Pac-Man, but this time he rips his red sheet on a nail that is on the ground, and we can see his skin-colored body under the sheet! The final cinema occurs after round 9. Blinkey is chasing Pac-Man yet another time. This time he has patched up his red sheet. After chasing Pac-Man off the screen, Blinkey returns, but now he is naked and dragging his entire sheet behind him. The third cinema plays again after round 13 and round 17. < (< . . . . . . . . . . > << B. Original Japanese Names >> While not vital to playing Pac-Man, it may be interesting to know that Pac-Man and his friends had different names when the game was first released. Here is the list of character names and nicknames, and what the original Japanese names were: Pac-Man : Puck-Man Blinky : Akabei Pinky : Pinky Inky : Aosuke Clyde : Guzuta Shadow : Oikake Speedy : Machibuse Bashful : Kimagure Pokey : Otoboke The nicknames of the ghosts are all puns on the Japanese words for the colors of the ghosts. Since the Japanese use a loan word for the word 'pink' from English, this name stayed the same. The "character" names roughly describe the way the ghosts move in the maze. After the American release of the game, and in all Pac-Man sequals, the Japanese names were never used again, and the English names were adopted. < (< . . . . . . . . > << C. The Ghostless Spot >> Right above Pac-Man's starting position, there is a small wall, and you can move to the right or left of this wall. While Pac-Man starts facing to the left, at the beginning of a round, turn to the right and head up. Instead of turning again to the right or turning back down, just let Pac-Man run into the wall above him. Resting in this spot, the ghosts will not hurt Pac-Man for the next 18 minutes of gameplay. You can use this technique to take a break when you are playing for a very long time. Expert players use this to get a drink or go to the bathroom in very long gameplay sessions without losing all their lives in the game. < (< . . . . > << D. Round 256 >> At the start of round 256, the right half of the game screen becomes a jumbled mass of characters, and the game is no longer playable. This is a result of a bug in the subroutine that shows fruit according to the round number. The way the data is stored causes round 256 to tries to display 256 fruits at the bottom of the screen, obviously messing the game up. ****************************** *** V. Dip Switch Settings *** ****************************** If you happen to own a Pac-Man arcade machine, you may want to adjust the settings in your game. Here are the dip switch settings: S#1 S#2 Game price settings Off On 1 coin, 1 play On Off 1 Coin, 2 play Off Off 2 coin, 1 play On On Free play S#3 S#4 Beginning lives On On 1 life Off On 2 lives On Off 3 lives Off Off 5 lives S#5 S#6 Points needed for bonus life On On 10,000 points for bonus life Off On 15,000 points for bonus life On Off 20,000 points for bonus life Off Off No bonus life S#7 S#8 Display/game modes Off Off Regular gameplay On Off Rack test Off On Freeze Picture *************** *** VI. FAQ *** *************** This section will be updating as I recieve questions on Pac-Man. Note that I am not the master of Pac-Man, but just a fan who likes to research about the game. While I can play a decent game of Pac-Man, I can't work Pac-miracles. I will still do my best to answer all Pac-questions you may have, so please send any my way! Contact information is at the bottom of this document (< . . . ************************ *** VII. High Scores *** ************************ If you would like to submit a high score of your own, please send it to my email. I will try to update the high scores every time I make an update to the guide. I will later include me and my friends' high scores. All scores are welcome; don't be ashamed of scores you think are too low. It only means you are on the road to Pac-Man mastery! Because the game ends at round 256, the maximum score in Pac-Man is 3,333,360 points. This has been achieved by the Pac-Man "world champion" Billy Mitchell, who made the score without losing a life. In order to do so, he ate every ghost and every fruit along the way to round 256. It was achieved in 1999 on July 3. ************************************ *** VIII. Legal Disclaimer, etc. *** ************************************ / \ \ / These characters, titles, etc. are not mine, obviously, as I never claimed they were. This guide, however, is mine and cannot be used without my permission, punishable by law. Any unauthorized copy or distribution of this document is illegal. So in other words, you can have a personal copy, but it cannot be used for ANY other reason except for personal use. If you would like to distibute, post, or do ANYTHING else publicly with this document, you MUST HAVE my permission. Currently, the only permission to use this guide is given to gamefaqs.com and ign.com (gamespot is also part of gamefaqs as far as permission). / \ \ / You can contact me through my email at nesseggman@yahoo.com. Please put SOMETHING in the subject. Something with no subject, I will probably skip over and it may take me a while to get around to reading it. Don't worry, I won't delete your emails just because it doesn't have some exact title that I want it to have. <> <> <*> <> <> <><>SPECIAL THANKS!<><> <> <> <-> <> <> Thanks for reading! I'd also like to thank my friends for playing games with, and my father for his insane Pac-Man abilities and knowledge of "thunder bird" (lol). Also, thanks to Namco for all their wonderful arcade games, especially Pac-Man. Also, thank you so much to whoever it was who made the "PREPARE TO QUALIFY" voice sample for Pole Position, because I love it. Thanks to all my readers who give me great feedback, positive and negative, especially on my Puyo guide, which has inspired me to continue writing.