Dig Dug that sucks.

Not "sucks" like you might be thinking, though. Wiping sucks because you control a vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner - with a mission!

And apparently that mission is to wipe out the annoying little critters that have dirtied up your nice, clean floor. Or carpet. That part's really not clear, because it looks like you're actually vacuuming up the carpet, leaving the tile floor exposed beneath.

Whatever you're doing, whether it's sucking or wiping (make up your own joke), is eliminating Baddons, Bilbolas, and Bigimbas. To do this, you hit the fire button to stun them with soap bubbles at close range, then run into them to suck them up. You can also run over small throw rugs, which will then quickly roll up and take out any pursuing bad guys with them. But be careful - if you get in the way of the rugs, they'll take you out, too. There are also hidden bonus items scattered around which you can suck up for more points.

When you eliminate all but one of the pests, the last one will try and make a run for it, so you have to be quick to get him. Once they're all gone, you move onto the next room.

Less Dig Dug.

Wiping is a pretty good game, but on the surface it's just too similar to Dig Dug. Why would someone play a knock-off, it the "real thing" was usually just a couple of machines over? Changing the goal would have helped set this game apart. Maybe the floor should start out clean, and the player has to keep the pests from dirtying it up. Or perhaps require the player to clean the entire floor, in addition to wiping out the pests.

The clone Rug Rats is an improved version of Wiping. A few tweaks to the graphics and gameplay make it a little more unique, and a little more playable. Even so, it's still basically Dig Dug. Or Dig Rug.