Play Great Pacman Games For Free!

It's more than 22 years ago that the Pacman arcade game hit bars and restaurants around the world. The game was first released on May 22, in 1980, to be precise. At the time of Pacman's release into the world of arcade gaming, Space Invaders, Asteroids and Pong were the most popular games available. No wonder Pacman became the most famous and highest grossing video game of all time! Pacman brought something entirely new to the market, and more than any previous game it appealed to both genders.

Pacman hails from the golden age of arcade games, and remains one of the most successful survivors of this era. Even today Pacman variations are still being produced, and the simple yellow disc-with-a-pizza-slice-missing Pacman design is widely known. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't recognise Pacman.

Just about everyone knows Pacman, but here's some funny trivia you might not know about Pacman and the development of the game:

Pacman was developed in Japan, primarily by Namco employee Touru Iwatani and his nine-man team. The original Japanese name for Pacman was Pakkuman. The name was derived for the onomatopoeic word "paku-paku", which describes the sound of smacking loudly while eating. Pacman's design is in part based on the Japanese character "kuchi," meaning mouth.

When Pacman was first released, Iwatani and his team named the game Puckman. This was fine in Japan, but when the game was released in the US, where the game took all competitors by surprise and truly began its booming career, American manufacturers changed the name to Pac-Man. Why was that? Well, they were afraid people would otherwise be far too tempted to vandalize the letter P on the arcade consoles!

Since the game's release in 1980 there have been numerous Pacman clones, remakes, spin-offs (such as the famous Ms. Pacman featuring Pacman's significant other), specifically themed Pacman editions and many fan-made versions. For some examples, check out Games.co.za where you can play lots of cool Pacman games for free.

Here you can play classic Pacman games, Ms Pacman, 3D editions of the game, platform games featuring the iconic yellow character, themed games such as a snow-and-ice winter version, a Simpsons edition, and a virus version), as well as various cross-overs, such as Pacman meets Zelda. Make your way through the maze, collect the pips and power pips, and make sure the four ghosts Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde don't get you! Check it out, pick your favourite games, and have fun!