Enhanced Hangman Game | Visual Basic Sample Code

Hangman is a classic word-guessing game where players try to uncover a hidden word by guessing letters one at a time. Each incorrect guess adds a part to the hangman's gallows. The player wins if they guess the word before the hangman is fully drawn.

This enhanced version features a modern interface, responsive design, and interactive gameplay. Below the game, you'll find the VB.NET equivalent code for educational purposes.

Interactive Hangman Game

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Guess a letter to start!

How to Play

Letter Guessing

Click on the letter buttons to guess which letters are in the hidden word

Hangman Drawing

Each incorrect guess adds a part to the hangman drawing

Win Condition

Guess the word before the hangman is completed to win

New Game

Click "New Game" to start over with a new word

VB.NET Code Implementation

VB.NET Code

Code Explanation

                    Public Class HangmanGame
    Private wordList As String() = {"PROGRAM", "VISUAL", "BASIC", "COMPUTER", "DEVELOPER", "APPLICATION"}
    Private secretWord As String
    Private guessedLetters As New List(Of Char)()
    Private maxAttempts As Integer = 6
    Private attemptsLeft As Integer
    
    Public Sub New()
        StartNewGame()
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub StartNewGame()
        ' Select a random word
        Dim random As New Random()
        secretWord = wordList(random.Next(wordList.Length))
        
        ' Reset game state
        guessedLetters.Clear()
        attemptsLeft = maxAttempts
    End Sub
    
    Public Function GuessLetter(letter As Char) As Boolean
        letter = Char.ToUpper(letter)
        
        ' Check if letter was already guessed
        If guessedLetters.Contains(letter) Then
            Return True ' Already guessed, no penalty
        End If
        
        ' Add to guessed letters
        guessedLetters.Add(letter)
        
        ' Check if letter is in the word
        If secretWord.Contains(letter) Then
            Return True
        Else
            attemptsLeft -= 1
            Return False
        End If
    End Function
    
    Public Function GetDisplayWord() As String
        Dim display As New StringBuilder()
        
        For Each c As Char In secretWord
            If guessedLetters.Contains(c) Then
                display.Append(c & " ")
            Else
                display.Append("_ ")
            End If
        Next
        
        Return display.ToString().Trim()
    End Function
    
    Public Function IsWordGuessed() As Boolean
        For Each c As Char In secretWord
            If Not guessedLetters.Contains(c) Then
                Return False
            End If
        Next
        Return True
    End Function
    
    Public Function IsGameOver() As Boolean
        Return attemptsLeft <= 0 OrElse IsWordGuessed()
    End Function
    
    Public Function GetHangmanImageIndex() As Integer
        Return maxAttempts - attemptsLeft
    End Function
End Class
                

VB.NET Hangman Game Explanation

This VB.NET implementation demonstrates the core logic of the Hangman game:

Game Initialization: The game starts by selecting a random word from a predefined list.
Letter Guessing: Players guess letters which are checked against the secret word.
Game State Tracking: The class tracks guessed letters and remaining attempts.
Word Display: Generates the display version of the word with underscores for unguessed letters.
Win/Loss Conditions: Checks if the word has been completely guessed or if attempts have run out.

This backend logic can be connected to a Windows Forms UI to create a complete application.