· Halloween · Attention
Ghost Hunt: free Halloween game to train attention to detail
Ghosts are hiding in fake screenshots: a desktop, a chat, a shop page. Tap every one before the candle burns out.
What is Ghost Hunt?
Buffer is hunting ghosts in made-up screenshots: Mira's laptop, a group chat and a costume shop page. Each ghost is a small oddity, like a clock at 9:76 PM or a discount that doesn't add up. Find all 3 or 4 on a screen before the candle burns out, and every catch tells you what was wrong.
Ghost Hunt is a free Halloween attention game with Buffer. Each round shows a made-up screenshot, Mira's laptop desktop, a group chat or a costume shop page, and 3 or 4 ghosts hide in it. They aren't drawn as ghosts: they're small oddities, things that can't be right, like a clock at 9:76 PM, a battery at 128% or a reply that quotes a message nobody sent.
Tap every oddity before the candle burns out. Each catch reveals the ghost and explains in one line what was wrong. Tapping something normal burns the candle 3 seconds faster, so look before you tap. Six screens, 3 lives, and the second visit to each screen hides different ghosts.
At a glance
- Category
- Seasonal
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Play time
- 2–4 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Look closely
- Each screen is a fake screenshot: a desktop, a group chat or a shop page. 3 or 4 things on it can't be right.
- Tap the oddities
- A time that can't exist, a total that doesn't add up, a reply that misquotes the message. Each catch explains what was wrong.
- Mind the candle
- Tapping something normal burns 3 seconds of candle. If it burns out with ghosts left, you lose one of 3 lives.
- Score
- 100 per ghost, plus 10 per second of candle left when you find them all.
Scoring
Each ghost you find scores 100 points. Find every ghost on a screen and you also get 10 points per second of candle left.
6 screens with 3 or 4 ghosts each. Tapping something normal burns 3 seconds of candle; a candle that burns out with ghosts left costs one of your 3 lives. Your best score is kept in this browser.
What it trains
- Attention to detail
- Scanning a whole screen calmly instead of reacting to the first thing you see.
- Spotting inconsistencies
- Checking each detail against the others: the date, the total, the member list.
- Quick sanity checks
- Doing the small maths that catches a wrong discount or subtotal.
Strategy and tips
- Check the numbers
- Times, percentages and totals are the easiest ghosts: minutes stop at 59, batteries at 100%.
- Compare with the facts on screen
- The date, the member list and the cart line are clues: a delivery date before today can't be right.
- Do the quick maths
- 2 hats at $12 make $24, $40 to $30 is 25% off. If a number feels off, work it out.
- Read the small print
- Read receipts, timestamps and progress labels hide the subtlest ghosts.
- Don't tap at random
- A wrong tap costs 3 seconds of candle. One calm scan of the whole screen is faster.
Why play Ghost Hunt?
Spotting what's out of place is a skill you use every day: catching a wrong total on a bill, a date that doesn't match, a message that isn't quite what it claims. Ghost Hunt trains a calm, systematic scan of a screen and the habit of checking each detail against the others.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ghost Hunt free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Are the apps, shop and people real?
No. The laptop, the group chat, the costume shop and everyone in them are made up for the game.
Are the ghosts the same every time?
No. Each screen has 7 possible ghosts. A run shows 3 on the first visit and the 4 others on the second, in a new mix every game.
Can I play with a keyboard or a screen reader?
Yes. Every part of the screenshot is a button: Tab through the screen and press Enter on anything odd. Each one is read out with its full text.