FROM AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE there is nothing at all peculiar about having a passionate loneness for Pac Man Just consider for a moment the cosmic significance of propelling a disembodied mouth through a maze in search of sustenance, the primal terror of being pursued by monsters through empty, winding tunnels. Consider the psychological implications of the game like its innumerable lesser relatives, like its venerable ancestor, pinball, Pac-Man providers the clearest example you'll ever see of the theory of positive reinforcement, negative feedback Do something smart and you keep playing Do something dumb and wham' you have to stop. Buy this shiny little booklet-which looks like the manual they give you with a new T.V. and goes about as deeply into the product's real meaning-and you can go on playing forever.

There's nothing peculiar about buying the booklet either, even if you consider yourself too "pure" to memorize monster sequences and con tips like "Play the corners individually for maximum point potential and downright fun." "For just $2.25 the editors of Consumer Guide can give you invaluable insights on the game's larger implications. Just turn to the "Testimonials" section on the last page where Jim, age 26, high score 115,400, advises

I sometimes reverse direction just before I eat a killer pill and then turn back and get it. This is tricky...But the rewards are worth it. When you do this. the monsters all reverse with you for a second, then come back... you don't run after them, they come to papa Big bonus for small action-that's what life's all about. Isn't it?

Or, if you prefer pragmatism and philosophical directness, there's Mike, age 111/2 high score 106,240.

I like it because you have to use you brain-you have to learn which way they (the monsters) are going

If this handy packet has a fault, it's the masterminds' regrettable tendency to gloss over the larger issues, preferring to plump for the stock phrases of money-making hype. No true follower is about to waste time reading now the tips within will help "understand the intimate nature of Pac-Man "and" use your own individual talents to design your personal Pac-Man strategy for maximum point potential." If you needed to be told about the "magnificent video game...one of the most ingenious thoroughly enjoyable games ever introduced to any public anywhere. "you probably wouldn't have gotten this far.

Better to ignore such axioms and skip to the book's true bonuses-the monster monologues in which each little assailant reveals his policies and inner psyche, the cartooned transcription, music included, of the halftime show, the handy drawing of the sequence of bonus fruits, and the reiterated exhortations to "get out of your chair and pump a shiny new quarter into the closest machine." Frankly, if there's one passage worth marking for easy reference at the machine, between games, that basic bit of advice is it. I can't think of anything I'd rather have on me than a trustworthy source consistently telling me to play one more game. Not, of course, that I can't stop any time I want to.