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Category: Arcade games
Developer: Kiloo
Requirements: iPhone and iPod touch
Compatibility: iPhone OS 2.0 or later
File Size: 7.5MB

What is it?

It’s that game you always pass up at Chuck E. Cheese’s to play Skee Ball or those two actual arcade games in the back corner where the creepy guy hangs out. Moles pop up out of holes, and you whack them.

How does it work?

Didn’t I just explain that? Moles pop up out of holes and you whack them. In real life, you hit them with a padded hammer. Here, your hammer is your thumb (or finger, but I’ve found the thumb is more effective). Simply touch the moles as they pop out of any of the five holes, and the hammer crashes down on their head. Some moles require more than one hit (distinguished by different colored hard hats). Sometimes, special objects will appear (baseball bat, spiked club, etc.) that trigger video mini-games.

These are very simple digital monochrome games that do a good job of breaking up the mole whacking action, if you need that, but they also create one small problem; I can give my three-year-old son Whac-a-Mole to pass some time, but the frequent flipping to the video screen for the mini-games leaves him baffled and frustrated. For me, they’re too simple and unnecessary, although well done.

In fact, the whole game is well done. The main selling point of Whac-a-Mole, I suppose, is that the developers didn’t cut any corners in creating the game. The graphics and audio are as garish as the real thing, and that’s as it should be. The whole package is faithful to the original, but updated with four game modes: standard (you know the routine), cork (plug up the holes), follow the leader (basically Simon), and mastermind (memorize red and grey patterns). Each of these offers the same game mechanics, but with slightly different rules and objectives. If you don’t think a reflex game of screen tapping would be fun, they’re not enough to make it so. But for those who like the frantic pace of such games, the multiple game modes help to prolong the game’s shelf life.

Features

• Well developed, and faithful to the source
• Four game modes
• Video mini-games to give your fingers a rest
• Appropriate graphics and audio

App it Up, Sum it Up

I’m not sure why a game such as this doesn’t feature online leader boards or some sort of ticket system for virtual prizes like at the arcades. Both seem like obvious choices for this game, but their absence doesn’t make the game any less fun. Whac-a-Mole is obviously much more entertaining with the physical feedback of the arcade version, but the action is well produced here, just on a smaller scale. Kids and adults will get enjoyment out of this for a few minutes at a time, but with no ability to show off your scores, you’ll have little incentive to improve them, thereby limiting the time Whac-a-Mole will spend on your phone.

Cost - $1.99
Worth the Money? - If it saves you a trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s, then yes.
Availability - Now, in the iTunes App Store