>My vote is for the latter.  Pac is the latest and greatest descendant of the
>amoeba.  Perhaps something like the Dralisite (not that my spell-check would
>have that to check against) of TSR's Star Frontiers fame.  To this day,
>however, I have not been able to coax the fellow out of his carts to do more in
>depth checks.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

Actually your theory is not far off.

What Pac Man (Pakus homo) is actually a species that diverged from the
Shmoo during the mid Oligocene epoch. Early fossils of Pakus homo date back
to about 30mya. There was a cladogenesis evolution of the Pac man from
it's common ancestor Ramashmoosicus that had the common modern Shmoo
(Shmoosicus latex) follow a different evolutionary path from Pakus homo.
Unlike Shmoosicus latex, Pakus homo is unable to morph it's body shape but
it is able to greatly increase the size of its body in special circumstances.
Like Shmoos, the Pac Man is very tasty which is why it is in constant danger
of attack from it's only natural enemy the Monster or as it is also known
the Ghost (Monere spirare). The evolution of the Pakus genera did not end
with Pakus homo. There is also the subspecies Pakus homo super. There
were also many divergent species that branched off from Pakus homo, most of
which are now extinct. (see Fig. a)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fig. a

            PUNCTUATED MODEL OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE MAJOR SPECIES
                           OF THE PAKUS GENERA

                         
                              CENOZOIC ERA

EPOCHS:
Oligocene           :Miocene :Pliocene :  :Holocene
37mya               :25mya   :5mya     :  :11kya
               30mya:        :         :  :
                _________________________________Shmoosicus latex (Shmoo)
               /    :        :         :  :  
Ramashmoosicus-|    :        :         :  :
               \_________________________________Pakus homo (Pac Man)
                    :|     | :  |     |:  : \____Pakus homo super
                    :|     | :  |     |:______Pakus aliuskosmos 
                    :|     | :  |________Pakus musetcattus
                    :|     |_________Pakus locetprosequi
                    :|_________Pakus ichthys (Pacacuda)
                    :        :         :  :
                    :        :         :Pleistocene
                    :        :         :1.8mya
                    :        :         :  :
PERIODS: Tertiary   :        :         :Quarternary
                    :        :         :  :  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


At first glance "Fig. a" suggests that I have far too much free time on my
hands, however, after further study one notes that the pretentious use of
latin and psuedo-latin nomenclature lends irrifutable scientific weight to
this theory of Pakus evolution. As well, the very fact that I have a chart
to back up my wild and unsubstantiated claims removes what little doubt
could possible exist that my theory is scientifically sound. Why anyone
doubting the brilliance of this theory is either a complete ninny or
is mearly showboating in an effort to divert precious funding from my
nobel research into Pakology for their own twisted studies. Need I remind
the grant committee of Dr. Morganstein's embarrassing support of
Mr. Dawson's "Puckdown Man"?

                               CRACKERS
                   (PhD in Pakology from hell!!!!!!)