Whac-A-Mole - Game Boy Advance - DE

This is an adaptation of the arcade game Whac-A-Mole for Nintendo's handheld devices. The screen shows a 5x4 grid of holes (3x3 in the GBA version). When the game starts, moles randomly pop their heads up in the holes. Now you have to hit them before they disappear again. DS users tap the moles with the touchpen, while GBA users must move a marker around the screen using the directional pad. The game features three different game modes. The first is Arcade Mode, where you must reach a certain number of points in each level before time runs out. Various types of moles will appear. Alongside the normal mole, there's the golden mole, which gives four times as many points as the normal mole, and the plush mole, which gives minus points. Later in the game you'll also encounter moles that attack your score, such as ninja and bazooka moles. There are also various power-ups. There are multipliers that, once activated, give double points for each mole, clocks that slow down time, and bombs that do the opposite. Seven worlds are available, each with their own graphic theme. The second mode is Puzzle Mode, which is not the same on both platforms. In the DS version you must recreate a shape shown on the top screen. This is done by tapping moles of different colours. In the GBA version there are two puzzle games. One is a Tic Tac Toe where you must hit three moles in a row before your opponent does. The other is the Peg Puzzle, where you must clear the field of all moles. For each mole you remove, more moles appear on the screen. The moles are marked with arrows that show where the new moles will appear. However, no new moles will appear if there is already a mole at that location. The third mode is a simple quick play mode where you simply set how many levels you want to play and at what difficulty, and then try to succeed. The DS version also supports multiplayer mode.