Shooting Gallery

The rules, in full

This shooting gallery has three stands, chosen with the button at the top:

• Fairground: the booth at the fair. Tin ducks on conveyor lanes, cans on a shelf, plates that pop up for a moment, and balloons rising.
• Range: three paper targets with rings, near, middle and far.
• Archery: the competition target, further away each round, with wind.

Every match is three timed rounds, with a set number of shots. A miss is a shot gone. The magazine reloads by itself when it is empty, but that takes a second, which is where a hurried player loses time. At archery it takes a moment to nock the next arrow.

A round ends when the time runs out or when the last shot is fired. At the fairground and the range there is an accuracy bonus: up to 50 points, in proportion to the shots that hit.

How the points are counted

Fairground

A duck that is knocked down stands up again after a few seconds, or when the conveyor brings it round.

Range. Each target has ten rings, from 10 in the middle to 1 at the edge, and the score is multiplied by the distance: ×1 for the near one, ×2 for the middle one, ×3 for the far one. In the second round the targets slide; in the third they turn, and can only be hit while they face you.

Archery. The rings are worth 10 to 1. The rounds are at 30, 50 and 70 metres: at 30 there is no wind, then it grows. The flag and the label at the top show which way it blows and how hard, and it changes after every arrow.

Two ways to aim

• Sight: the sight sways like a real hand, and the shot goes where the sight is when you fire. On a phone, hold to aim, with the sight above your finger so the finger does not hide it, and let go to shoot. With a mouse, move to aim and click to shoot.
• Tap: the shot goes exactly where you tap or click.

Records are kept for each stand and each way of aiming, because they are not the same game.

Strategy that actually helps

Shoot as the sight crosses the target, not when you get there. The sway comes and goes: wait for the sight to pass through the middle.

Count your shots. The bonus rewards accuracy: one shot fewer is better than a miss.

At the fairground, pick the targets worth most. Plates and golden ducks are worth five ordinary ducks, but they do not last.

At the range, the far target pays more. A 7 on the far target is worth 21, more than a 10 on the near one.

At archery, aim into the wind. If the wind blows to the right, aim left of the middle, and further when the target is far away. The first arrow tells you how far.

Controls

• Touch: with the sight, hold and let go to shoot; with tap, tap the target.
• Mouse: move to aim, click to shoot.
• Keyboard: the arrows move the sight, Space shoots, B changes the stand, A changes how you aim, N starts again.

A little history

The shooting gallery is one of the oldest attractions at the fair: booths with tin ducks running on a belt and prizes hanging from the roof have been part of fairgrounds for more than a century. Target shooting and archery, on the other hand, are real sports with their own competitions. No weapon is shown here, only the sight. If you like games about aiming, try Darts too.

Common questions

Is it free? Yes. It runs in your browser, with no signup and nothing to download.

Can I play on a phone? Yes. With the sight, the shot goes when you lift your finger, and the sight sits above the finger so it is never hidden.

What are the stands? The fairground, the range and archery, chosen with the button at the top.

How long is a match? Three rounds, of 45 seconds at the fairground and the range and 60 at archery.

What is the accuracy bonus? Up to 50 points at the end of a round, in proportion to the shots that hit.

How do I deal with the wind? Watch the flag and aim towards the side the wind comes from: the arrow is carried while it flies.

Are there guns? No: only the sight is shown, and you shoot at tin ducks, cans, balloons and paper targets.