Dot Muncher

About Dot Muncher

Munch every dot in the maze while the ghosts hunt you down. The four big glowing dots turn the tables: for a few seconds the ghosts turn blue and run away, and you can chase them instead. One ghost on level one, two by level three, three from level five — and they get bolder as you climb. Two promises the game keeps: a ghost is never faster than you, so there is always a way out, and no corridor is ever a dead end.

Dot Muncher is one of our arcade & reflex games for kids. This one plays in the iPhone and iPad app rather than in the browser, but 33 of our games are free to play right here — browse the full library to find them. It is also in our classic games for kids collection.

How to Play

• Swipe or use the arrows to set your direction.
• Eat every dot to clear the level.
• Eat a big glowing dot and chase the blue ghosts for bonus points.
• You have three lives — a caught muncher loses one.

Tips & Tricks

• Keep moving — standing still is how ghosts corner you.
• Save a big dot for when the ghosts crowd you.
• The ghosts wander off to their own corners every so often; that's your moment to clear the far side.

What It Practises

Dot Muncher is a maze chase. To clear a level a child has to plan a route that collects every dot while keeping track of where the ghosts are, which trains spatial memory and planning under a little pressure.

The four big dots add timing: eat one and the ghosts can be chased for a few seconds, so children learn to save the power-up for the right moment. The game is designed to be fair: no corridor is a dead end and a ghost is never faster than the player, so a careful child always has a way out.

• Planning an escape route through a maze

What Age Is Dot Muncher For?

Best for ages 6 to 12. Six- and seven-year-olds can clear the first level, which has one ghost. More ghosts arrive at levels three and five, which suits older children who want a real chase.

Tips for Parents

Show them that the big dots are a tool: eat one when a ghost is close, not when the coast is clear.

On a tablet, swiping ahead of a corner works better than swiping at it. A quick demonstration saves a lot of frustration.

Three lives make it forgiving. Encourage them to learn from each lost life where the ghost came from.

Try It Without a Screen

• Play tag in the garden with a "safe base" that works like the big dots.
• Draw a maze with dots in it and race to collect them with a pencil.
• Play hide-and-seek and talk about good routes to the hiding place.

Dot Muncher — Frequently Asked Questions