How to play whack-a-mole
- Pick a speed and a round of 30 or 60 seconds, then press Start (or Space).
- Moles pop up from the nine holes. Click or tap each one before it ducks back down. On a keyboard, each hole has its own key: Q W E on the top row, A S D in the middle and Z X C at the bottom.
- Each mole you hit scores a point. The moles come faster as the clock runs down. At the end you see your score and how many of your swings hit.
Tips for whack-a-mole
Watch the middle hole: from there you can see movement anywhere on the board without moving your eyes. When two moles are up, go for the one that just appeared, since the other is about to drop and you’ll probably miss it anyway.
On a computer the keys beat the mouse, because you can hit any hole without moving a hand across the screen. Play a few rounds on Easy to get the Q W E, A S D and Z X C layout into your fingers before you try Fast.
About the game
This is a browser version of the classic arcade game: nine holes, moles that pop up at random, and a countdown clock. It’s a quick test of reaction speed and hand-eye coordination, and a short round makes it an easy break between other things.