The scoring pays for reaction, not for mashing
Every mole is worth ten points, plus up to ten more depending on how quickly you reach it — the full bonus goes to a tap inside about a fifth of a second, and it tapers to nothing by half a second.
Tapping an empty hole costs nothing, which sounds generous until you notice that the time you spend hitting holes at random is time a mole is standing there unhit. The counter beside the score is how many got away.
The moles do not appear on a beat
The gap between appearances is randomised around the level you pick. A fixed interval turns the game into a rhythm exercise — you stop watching the holes and start counting — and that is a different and much easier game.
The three levels change how often a mole appears and how long it stays. On Frantic a mole is gone in about six-tenths of a second, which is close to the limit of a deliberate reaction.
It is our own mole
The mole is drawn as vector shapes by the page itself — the same animal as the one that wanders around the rest of this site. There is no image to download, so it is sharp on any screen and it appears instantly even on a slow connection.
Your best score stays in this browser, and the game asks nothing of the network once the page is open. There is no ranking to join.
Every tap is timed locally with the browser's own clock, which is the only reason a score can meaningfully reward a fifth of a second.
Frequently asked questions
Does missing a mole lose me points?
No, and neither does hitting an empty hole. The only cost of a miss is the points you did not collect, which on Frantic adds up faster than a penalty would.
How long is a round?
Thirty seconds, starting when you press Start. The clock does not pause, so a round is short enough to fit between two other things.
Why is my hit percentage low when my score is high?
They measure different things. The score rewards being quick on the moles you do reach; the percentage counts how many appeared at all. On the faster levels more moles appear than anyone can reach, so a lower percentage with a higher score is the normal shape of a good run.
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