Whack-a-Mole
About Whack-a-Mole
Whack-a-Mole is the timed-reaction arcade classic, rebuilt for the browser. Moles pop up out of a grid of holes one after another, each one staying up for only a moment. Tap a mole while it's up to score a hit · land at least the target number of hits before the round timer runs out and you win.
The pop-up schedule is fixed, not random. Which hole a mole appears in, when it appears, and how long it stays are all generated from the round seed · so two players handed the same code play exactly the same pattern, tick for tick. The skill is pure attention and reaction speed: keep your eyes moving across the whole grid and your tap finger quick.
What it trains. Three reflex bundles at once: peripheral attention (you can't stare at one hole · the mole is somewhere else), reaction time (each mole has a short window), and the inhibition of false starts (tapping an empty hole costs you nothing, but it disrupts the visual scan that finds the next mole). The same skills underpin driving, ball sports, and the live-feedback elements of any rhythm game.
Difficulty speeds it up; level speeds it up more. Easy rounds use a small grid, leave each mole up for a good while, and ask for a modest share of hits. Harder rounds grow the grid, shorten each mole's window, tighten the gap between pop-ups, and raise the hit target · and higher labyrinth levels squeeze the timings tighter still. A high-level expert round feels like an arcade.
Part of the PlayMemorize family of brain-training games. Runs entirely in your browser, works offline as a Progressive Web App.
FAQ
Q: How do I win a round?
Reach the hit target before the timer ends. The target is a share of the total pop-ups in the round, so a few misses are fine · you do not need a perfect run, but you cannot dawdle.
Q: Does tapping an empty hole hurt me?
No · a missed tap just does not score. The only thing that costs you is letting moles duck back down before you reach the target.
Q: Is the schedule the same for everyone?
Yes when handed the same seed. Every pop-up's hole, start time, and duration, plus the round length and the hit target, are all derived from the round seed.
Q: How does difficulty change it?
Higher difficulty grows the grid, shortens how long each mole stays up, tightens the gap between pop-ups, and raises the hit target. Higher labyrinth levels trim the per-mole window and spawn gap further.
Q: Does it work offline?
Yes. PlayMemorize is a Progressive Web App. Install once and Whack-a-Mole works without an internet connection.
