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Arts and Entertainment

Google Maps' Cool New Feature Lets You Play Pac-Man

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With April Fools' Day just around the corner, Google Maps has unleashed a sweet new feature that taps into our thirst for '80s nostalgia. Now you can play Pac-Man right on Google Maps.

You might want to start playing it soon since the feature will only be available for a short time. All you have to do is go to Google Maps on your computer, type in an address or navigate to where you want to start your game, and click on the Pac-Man icon on the bottom left-hand side of the screen:

We tested out the busy intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. and found that playing Pac-Man on the those streets was in fact much more entertaining than visiting the tourist trap. Just using our keyboard arrows, we were able to avoid ghosts and pick up some cherries along the way. Turn on the volume to hear 8-bit sounds so you can get the ultimate throwback experience:

Pac-Man is even available on Google Maps on some mobile devices, but finding those sweet spots where you can play is a little trickier. Visit Google's support page to get clues on where to find it.

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This isn't the first time Google has tinkered with its maps for April Fools' Day. Last year, they added a jokey Pokemon feature. When you zoomed into Google Maps, you'd find Pokemon characters scattered throughout the world, and you could "catch them all" in the Google Maps feature and store them in a Pokédex.

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