Alley Cat

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Alley Cat
Studio Synapse software
Publisher Ariolasoft
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 1983
1984 (DOS)
platform Atari 800 , DOS , PC-88
genre Jump 'n' run
Game mode Single player

Alley Cat is a Jump 'n' run computer game by Bill Williams, the 1983 by Synapse Software for Atari 800 was published -Heimcomputer. A version for PC was published by IBM in 1984 . The player controls a stray cat (Engl. Alley cat ) and will have to try various mini-games to end.

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game the player has three attempts (“lives”) to complete the game challenges. The player can lose life through contact with various other living beings or objects. When all three lives are lost, the game is over. In principle, Alley Cat is an endless game, i. H. If the player does not lose a life or close the program, the game repeats itself. Success is measured in points that the player receives for overcoming the challenges.

housewall

Alley Cat is divided into two phases. The first consists of the scene of a wall of a house with several windows on it that open from time to time. Clotheslines move in front of these windows, there is a fence in front of the house wall and in front of it there are some garbage cans. The cat can jump over the garbage cans onto the fence and from there to the clotheslines. However, he can only hold on to laundry that is hung up (but not the line itself). Mice run around on these lines that the cat can catch. On the other hand, the mice can detach the cat from the laundry so that it falls down again. During this first phase on the wall of the house there are obstacles that can take life from the player:

  • A dog runs around in front of the garbage cans from time to time. He engages the cat in a fight, which he pays for with the loss of a life.
  • A cat climbs out of the partially open garbage cans and pushes the player's cat back down. Usually the dog already described appears afterwards.
  • Objects such as telephones , knives or rubbish are thrown out of the open windows. The player must try to avoid these items.

An open window also serves as access to various rooms in which certain tasks have to be performed.

Task rooms

In the different rooms of the house, different tasks await the player, which consist in the cat stealing something to eat. In all rooms there is always a minder in the form of a broom , who tries to push the hangover away. The broom can be distracted by the fact that the cat leaves traces on the floor, which become even more pronounced by walking back and forth several times. The broom always tries to remove the cat's tracks first. At the end of a successfully completed task, points are awarded, the number of which depends on the time required.

Catch a bird
In a red room there is a table with a bird cage . The player must first push the bird cage off the table. If the cage falls, its bars bend and the bird can escape from the cage. After all, it is now up to the player to catch the bird.
Aquarium
There is an aquarium in a pink room that the cat can jump into. Here the player has to try to let the cat eat all the ornamental fish . In addition, he has to dodge electric eels and appear frequently to catch his breath. The number of electric eels increases with each fish that is eaten.
Catch mice
Another red room contains a disproportionately large piece of cheese , from the holes of which mice happen to appear. The player must try to catch them while avoiding a broom. The tomcat can not only hang from the holes in the cheese, but also get into the holes and so come out again at another hole.
Eat food
There are several sleeping dogs in a pink room . The player must now try to eat the food from the dogs' bowls without waking them.
Collect dessert bowls
In the last possible mini-game in the pink room, the player must try to collect three dessert bowls that are on a bookshelf. He has to avoid a spider that wanders along the ceiling and can spin up and down on its thread at any time.
"Conquer" cat
If one of these games is successfully completed, the mechanism of the opening windows changes. Objects no longer fall out of these and a cat is in them (which is noticeable with a written "Meow"). If the player jumps into one of these windows, he finds himself in a playing field of levels, which are formed by whole and broken hearts. Now he has to try to reach the cat on the top platform via several platforms. Some obstacles make this task difficult:
  • The cats on the other levels push the cat back down one level.
  • Cupid statues fire arrows that break hearts and put broken hearts back together.
In order to increase the achievable number of points, a gift box can be collected, which is given to the cat. The box can also be left lying around; a cat touching the individual gift box disappears for some time. If you have successfully completed this task, you get to the next level and receive an additional life.

Increases

The difficulty of the game increases with each further level of play: The described broom sweeps faster, the cat can no longer lay as many tracks. The tasks also become more difficult (number of electric eels, speed of mice, spiders and dogs).

Versions

The PC version was developed to run under PC-DOS and MS-DOS . The game is shown in CGA graphics. The version for Atari 800 is shown with 16 colors.

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