🔨 Whack-a-Mole
Tip: tap moles fast — but don't touch the bombs! On desktop, press keys 1–9 to whack holes.
How to play
Whack-a-Mole is the classic arcade reflex game, condensed into a frantic 60-second round. Nine dirt holes sit in front of you, and moles pop out of them at random. Every mole you whack earns you 10 points, and the moles keep coming faster and ducking back quicker as the clock runs down, so the last twenty seconds are pure chaos. Mixed in with the moles are bombs, marked with a red glow — smack one by mistake and you lose 25 points plus your entire streak, and the screen shakes to let you know it.
The real scoring magic is the streak: every mole you whack in a row without missing builds your combo, and every 5th consecutive whack pays a +25 streak bonus. Missing a mole by tapping an empty hole doesn't cost points, but it does break your streak — so accuracy matters as much as speed. When the timer hits zero, the results overlay shows your final score and whether you beat your personal best, which is saved in your browser for next time.
Controls
- Tap / click a hole: whacks whatever is popping out of it. This is the main way to play on phones and tablets.
- Keyboard 1–9: whacks the 9 holes directly, laid out like a number pad grid — 1 is top-left, 9 is bottom-right.
- Enter: starts the game, or restarts it instantly mid-round or from the results screen.
- Restart button: resets the timer, score, and streak immediately for another run.
Tips & strategy
- Watch the whole grid instead of staring at one hole — moles appear anywhere, and tunnel vision costs you points in the final rush.
- Learn the bomb's red glow. A split-second glance before you whack saves you 25 points and your streak.
- Protect your streak near multiples of five: whacking blindly right before a +25 bonus is how streaks die at 4.
- Don't panic-tap empty holes. A miss breaks your streak for free, so only tap when you see a mole up.
- The pace speeds up in the last 20 seconds — keep your rhythm steady instead of flailing, and let the bonus moles come to you.
Scoring
Each mole you whack scores +10 points. Consecutive successful whacks build your streak, and every 5th streak whack adds a +25 bonus on top — a perfect 60-second run with steady streaks can push well past 500 points. Hitting a bomb costs −25 points and resets your streak to zero. Tapping an empty hole breaks your streak but never costs points. Your best score is stored in your browser (Best in the HUD) so you can chase your own record across visits.