Your Trophy Cabinet in the Halloween Mood

Because it is such a classic game many of you have entered their scores the past years and it seems the high score list got more and more out of reach for the regular players of Neopets. But not to worry! It is still possible to win this golden tombstone for your spooky trophy cabinet. I’m about to reveal in this article that any Neopian can beat this game and get their name entered in the top 100. Maybe you’ve tried in the past and thought it to be impossible, but why isn’t it impossible for me to get a 1410 score when I don’t even have that much experience?

It’s not only luck that comes with this game, but also strategy!

First, for the ones who are not familiar with the game I will explain the basics of the game. The goal at Whack-a-Ghost is to whack all the ghost petpets on your screen with the numbers on the keypad of your keyboard (Note: don’t forget to turn on the NumLock-button, or else the keys don’t work). The more you whack, the more points you’ll get. You have ten lives shown on the screen with the pink hearts. There are a total of thirteen levels (oohwhoo lucky number 13) on this game.

To play the game well, here are a few basic rules if you haven’t notice them yet:

1. You must always whack the ghost petpets (no wonder it’s the name of the game); if you don’t, you’ll lose a life and most importantly points! And you want to gain all the points you can get to win this game. If you don’t know what the ghost petpets look like, than maybe you need to spend more time in the Haunted Woods during Halloween. ;)

2. Pay attention to the creepy moon on the background. He moves from left to right in 30 seconds and shows you how much time you have left for each level.

3. Don’t whack anything else besides the ghost petpets; you will lose a life when you do so. You get extra lives by hitting the pink hearts. It’s better to just hit them, then forgetting them and notice later on in the game that you’re close to game over!

4. Always whack the treasure chests, for they contain extra lives and coins. Don’t forget to hit them twice to actually collect the treasure inside of them.

5. Remember that the keypad changed during the game; you can see it at the right of the screen. I’ll explain later how to use this to get a good score.

Okay you might think at this point: “I already know that!”. But that’s not what this article is about. You don’t want to play the game well enough, you want to play the game brilliant! And there are ways to reach this Grand Master status. No, no, you don’t need to turn evil and join Dr. Sloth’s army or start living in the Haunted Woods, or become Jhudora’s little helper. Remember, it's Halloween! You just need to be creepy and evilly good for one day and pay good attention to the tips I’m about to give:

1. Use a wireless keyboard. When you don’t have one, try to make sure you have the wire of your keyboard a bit loose. This is a very important strategy to get you more skilled to finish the game. You’ve probably noticed the keypad changes after each three levels. When you turn your keyboard counter clockwise along with this keypad, you will always have the numbers at the right tombstones. So the chance of you missing the ghosts is very slim. But watch out when the keypad changes for the second time! Because that’s when it’s mirrored! For these levels you just need practice.

2. Hit as quickly as you can. Not too quick or else you’ll whack the dirt, but when the ghost petpets start to pop out of the ground. This way you’ll have more chances of whacking a lot of ghost petpets in the 30 seconds you get.

3. Okay, a very important tip! During the game there are also golden coins popping up from the ground. They are not hidden in a chest, but sometimes follow after you’ve hit a ghost petpet or just randomly. These coins are crucial for your victory! When you start the game, make sure that in the first level you’ve gotten at least two times the golden coins; three times is even better! This is a sign that it will be a very lucky game! From my own experience I’ve noticed that it helped and I had a game with lots of coins and chests. Or maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m just too superstitious. See for yourself what works for you.

4. When you’ve reached the third time the keypad changes (after level 9) you should have at least 650 point or higher, or else you’re not going to make it to get a nice high score. Not even when you get lots of coins and chests later on the game, it’s already too late.

5. When you are at level 13, the final level, you have to watch out when you whack the petpets. Sometimes the game fools you and you try to hit a ghost petpet and instead you lose a lot of lives! And of course don’t be fooled by the skeletons; hit the key with the number on their little sign or you will lose a life. The skeletons are very important! They give you 5 points each time you hit them.

Although the game seems very evil and cunning, it really isn’t. It’s one of the easiest spooky trophies on Neopia to win. Hopefully you’ll get the Whack-a-Ghost trophy this Halloween with help from my article.

Of course I said that there are many spooky trophies you can win this Halloween. And there are! But it’s not possible for me to explain them all in one article.

These are the spookiest or evilest trophies you can win that will change your trophy cabinet in the Halloween Mood; Attack of the Marblemen, Cellblock, Evil Fuzzles from Beyond the Stars, Fetch, Hannah and the Pirate Caves, MAGAX: Destroyer II, Meepit Juice Break (Are they always that mad?), Scourge of the Lab Jellies, Sophie’s Stew, the Castle of Eliv Thade, Typing Terror, Whack-a-Kass and don’t forget Whack-a-Staff–Member. This last game has one of the most creepy trophies, that of a Staff Member, a HUMAN! Ieieieieieieie…

Most important with all of these games is practice. Use the knowledge of the Neopians; some are very ancient and wise and are multiple champions. Scour the boards and many game guides.

For you Neopians out there that want a full spooky trophy cabinet this Halloween: start playing now! And enjoy beating the games and getting in the Halloween mood!