Whac-a-Mole is a free Ovi Store-based take on the well known Whack a Mole game encouraging players to wallop boisterous moles on the bonce before they disappear. Does it do the classic pastime justice? Read on to find out.
As a featured game on the Ovi Store, we were naturally keen to test drive the oddly spelt Whac-a-Mole. It's a game of timing and nippy reflexes. The aim is to pound as many moles on the head as possible before they pop down their hidey hole.
Loading Whac-a-Mole up we were getting excited at the thought of flexing our mole bashing fingers. That is until the main menu loaded up. On our N97 we found the game only uses up the middle portion of the screen, leaving ghastly black spaces in the top and bottom. It's highly unsightly during gameplay and makes reading menus packed with small text difficult without pasting our peepers against the screen.
Gameplay wise Whac-a-Mole does what it says on the tin. Tapping the screen sends the suddenly-appearing moles back down to black hole oblivion, before they re-emerge. The biggest complaint we have is it can take too many touches to make it work. It's nowhere near as sensitive to our touches as many other Ovi Store games. In a game where quick finger action is key to scoring it's a major let down.
Powerups such as a clock to give you more time and a baseball bat for quicker mole smashing add some extra spice, but rather than add to proceedings they feel a tad tacked on.
In a further attempt to add variety is a 'Cork Mode', 'Follow the Leader' and a 'Master Mind mode'. HIn 'Cork Mode' the aim is to bash the moles but also collect cork powerups to block the holes that the moles pop out of. The aim is to shut all of the moles in. Don't do it in time and it's game over. Getting a cork power-up initiates a minigame on the Whac-a-Mole unit in-game which you must play to progress, it's a nice touch in the game's most enjoyable mode.
'Follow the Leader' is all about memorising sequences. The aim is to remember the sequence and smack accordingly. It's mildly challenging at the best of times, but we can't help but think it's more suited to those with cotton buds for fingers. It's incredibly easy to make a mistake, even when you've hit the right combination. And it's not as if our fingers are exactly built like Cumberland sausages either. 'Master Mind' is also a tenuous game that has players figuring which moles to hit to corresponding holes. Hit the wrong one and an 'X' appears. Hit the right one and a tick appears, you need five ticks to progress.
So, is Whac-a-Mole worth a download? Despite a trio of extra game modes Whac-a-Mole struggles to excite. It uses only half of the screen, text is difficult to read and controls are slow and frustrating. Annoying in-game ads are just another reason to give it a miss.
Check out our Whac-a-Mole review Photo Gallery below:
