Hog Buster Training Camp by Alliance to Save Energy

 We have the Wayback Machine to thank for bringing this classic back to life!

Who you gonna call? Hog Busters!

Who made it?: This game was made by Alliance to Save Energy as part of the Energy Hog campaign they did alongside the Ad Council back in the 2000s.

Story: In this game your going through a training program to become an official Hog Buster.

Presentation: The game looks alright. There isn't much animation and what is there is fairly limited, but since this was made back in the early 2000s I am willing to cut them some slack. Outside of a short fanfare that plays whenever you complete a minigame there is no music in the game. There are however extra features on the website, including bios of the various types of Energy Hogs and a downloadable handbook on saving energy.

How to play: You click your way around the house looking for energy hogs, all the while the two lab workers give you tips on saving money on your energy bill. Each of the rooms has one game hidden within, all but one of them are controlled with the mouse.

Gameplay: There are five games in all. They're not bad games by any means and they have a decent amount of variety, but they are really easy. When I was replaying them for research, the only times I lost any of them was when I let myself lose. 

• Fridge Frenzy: This game is a simple match two game with groceries. The meter on the right only goes down when a fridge is open and you lose if it goes up all the way. If you find a hog you won't be able to close the fridge he's in until you find his twin. 
• Bulb Hunter: Here your a guy in a dark maze trying to convert all the old bulbs into energy efficient ones. You have 3 and a half minutes to complete this task. This is the only game that uses the arrow keys. 
• Whack A Hog: Your mission in this game is to fend off hogs with a hairbrush before they use up all the hot water. It's basically whack a mole but with pigs and a hairbrush. 
• Wacky Windows: For this game your keeping an approaching hog out by caulking up the windows. To do this you first have to find the window that the hog is coming to, then click the edges of said window to caulk it. After eight shots you'll have to reload.
• Attic Attack: The goal of this game is to put new carpets on five rows in the attic while fighting off hogs. All you do is click on the carpets and watch them roll down. If a carpet runs into a hog it's destroy him, but also roll back to your position and you'll have to try again.

Final Verdict: This is a game I remember liking a lot when I was little. While it doesn't excite me as much these days its still a decently made game that'll kill a few minutes. Just don't expect much of a challenge to come out of your play session.