If you log into Google Maps today on your PC or mobile device, you'll be able to turn city streets into a PAC-MAN gameboard.

That's right, Mr Yellow Munchy and his weird blobby frenemies are back, complete with irritating siren sound effects, 8-bit cherries and magic dots.

The game works just about anywhere - even on your home street, depending on where you live.

Just click a location, click the PAC-MAN icon in the bottom left corner of the screen, and it will either go straight into game mode or tell you "there aren't enough streets". Pan and zoom around a bit though and you can find somewhere suitable; or, click "I'm Feeling Lucky" and let Google direct you.

We tried it out on the game in major Australian cities, including a suburban area in Adelaide full of cul-de-sacs that Google Maps couldn't quite transpose properly. The result was PAC-MAN teleporting from street to street.

For mobile, Google has provided a list of clues as to where Pac-Man might be hiding.

For instance: "PAC-MAN and Ms. PAC-MAN can't agree on which side is prettier: the American or the Canadian. Which side do you fall on, eh?"

We went to Niagara Falls and panned and zoomed, as instructed, but still no magic PAC-MAN button appeared.

But you can also try it out in the augmented reality gaming platform Ingress, available on both iOS and Android mobile devices from the requisite app stores.

While PAC-MAN didn't want to play with us when we tried the PC version at The Age's offices, when we tried the same location using Ingress, the building turned into a giant, blue ghost. Crazy!

Google said more clues as to the best places to play would be up "soon", but warned pac-fans to "eat the pac-dots fast, because this game will only be around for a little while".

Happy munching!

SMH