About Air Hockey
Air Hockey is a fast table game against a computer opponent. You control the blue mallet on the bottom half of the table, the CPU guards the top, and the first player to score 7 goals wins.
How to play
- Each goal is an opening in the middle of the short ends of the table. Elsewhere, the ends and the sides bounce the puck back.
- Your mallet can move anywhere in the bottom half of the table but cannot cross the centre line. The CPU is likewise kept to the top half.
- When the mallet strikes the puck, the puck bounces off it and also picks up part of the mallet's own speed, so faster swings make faster shots, up to a top speed.
- The puck slowly loses speed as it glides.
- After each goal, play pauses briefly and the puck is placed, still, on the half of the player who conceded. The very first puck of the match starts on your side.
- The first player to 7 goals wins.
- The CPU defends near its goal when the puck is in your half and attacks the puck when it comes into its half, but its mallet has a limited speed.
Controls
- Mouse: move the pointer over the table and your mallet follows it.
- Touch: press and drag on the table; the mallet follows your finger.
- There is no keyboard control in this game.
Tips and strategy
- Shoot with a quick, short swipe through the puck. The mallet passes on some of its speed, so a fast flick beats a slow push.
- Use the side walls. A bank shot comes at the CPU's goal from an angle, which is harder for its speed-limited mallet to reach in time.
- When the puck is on the CPU's side, retreat to the front of your goal. Most CPU shots come straight down the middle.
- Do not rush a puck that is drifting slowly towards you. Let it come, line up, then strike it towards an open side of the goal.
- After conceding, the puck sits still on your side. Take a moment to aim rather than hitting it straight at the CPU mallet.
Background
Air hockey was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by engineers at Brunswick Billiards in the United States, who used a table with tiny holes blowing air to make a puck float on a thin cushion. Coin-operated tables became popular in arcades and bars during the 1970s, and the game developed an organised competitive scene with national championships. Tables use rimmed walls so players can bank shots, which is why angles off the sides matter so much in the real game too.
Questions
- How many goals do I need to win?
- Seven. The match ends as soon as you or the CPU reaches 7 goals.
- Can I play with the keyboard?
- No. Air Hockey is controlled only by mouse or touch, because the mallet moves to wherever the pointer is.
- What is saved as my best score?
- The number of goals you scored in a match, up to 7, kept in your browser's local storage on this device.