By Bill Williams

synapse
ATARI INSTRUCTIONS
Joystick
The joystick should be plugged into Port 1.
Cassette
Make sure you have enough memory (48K required), and remove any cartridges.
ALLEY CAT does NOT need the BASIC cartridge to run.
Insert the cassette into the cassette recorder with the label side up, making
sure it is rewound. Press the [PLAY] button until it locks in the Down position.
Hold down [START] on the computer and press [RETURN], The program will
load in a few minutes.
If you have any trouble, simply turn the cassette over, rewind, and repeat the
loading procedure.
Disk
Turn on your disk drive and w ait for the "Busy" light to go out. Insert the
game disk with the label side up and the open end facing the rear of the drive.
Close the drive door and turn on the computer. The program will load in about
30 seconds.
If you have any trouble, simply turn the disk over and repeat the loading
procedure.
When the initial segment is loaded, the first screen is a menu that allows you
to choose either ALLEY CAT or a collection of Synapse demos. Press [1] for the
game, or [2] for the demos. Either program will load in several minutes. If you
have any trouble, simply turn the disk over and repeat the loading procedure.
The game and demos have been duplicated on both sides.
Notice: Game loading and/or play may be affected by multiple peripherals or
non-standard modifications made to original equipment. If the game w on't boot
or play, try disconnecting all non-essential peripherals (printer, modem, etc.).
STARTING THE GAME
Quick Advice for Impatient People Who Hate to Read Instructions
You can select difficulty level by pressing [OPTION] or [SELECT], or by moving
the joystick. You can start the game by pressing [START], or by pressing the
Fire button.
How far Freddy jumps depends on how fast he's running. Mastering running
jumps is essential as you move up the difficulty levels.
The Fire button performs special actions in some rooms. For further information,
refer to the Room Description section below.
Once the title screen is displayed, you can start the game either by pressing
[START] or the Fire button.
Selecting Difficulty Levels
You can choose to start on a higher difficulty level by pressing [OPTION] or
[SELECT], or by moving the joystick. If you are a beginner, make sure that it
says "KITTEN" at the bottom of the title screen.
Reading the Graffiti
Your score is the telephone number painted on the right side of the fence. The
number of lives Freddy has left is also painted there, next to where it says "CAT"
The high score is painted on the left side of the fence, next to the word "HI."
Paws Control
You may paws the game by pressing the [SPACE BAR]. To pick up where you
left off, press the [SPACE BAR] again.
Interrupting Game Play
If you're having a bad game, pressing [START] will start you over fresh. If only
real life had this feature!
If you want to get back to the title screen to select a new difficulty level, press
[OPTION] or [SELECT],

Controlling Freddy
Hold the joystick so that the Fire button is in the upper left-hand corner. To make
Freddy walk, push the joystick to the left or right.
To make him jump, push upward on the joystick. Pushing diagonally (up and to
the left, or up and to the right) will make him jump diagonally.
Freddy makes short hops when he jumps from a standing position. To make
him jump farther, run to the left or right and then (without pausing) push the joy­
stick diagonally upward. How far he jumps depends on how fast he is running.
Pushing the joystick in any of the down directions will cause Freddy to jump
down.
Sometimes Freddy can hang on an object (you'll see him kick his paws). When
he's hanging, pushing the joystick to the left or right w on't make him do any­
thing, because he can't walk. Up, down, and any of the diagonals will work.
In some rooms, pressing the Fire button will cause Freddy to respond differently.
Refer to the Room Descriptions section for details.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
Freddy explains, "Oh, she's just purrfect. Felicia, I mean. I'd love to steal a kiss
from those flawless lips, but she doesn't return my catcalls or anything. It's a
real catastrophe. I'm not lion, I think w e ’d make a real good team, if I could just
impress her."
Felicia, somewhere up above in the Catalina Condominium Complex, stretches
on her pillow. "Freddy? Oh, he's an OK catch, but I just don't cater to him, you
know? And Daddy doesn't like him either. He's told my six brothers to keep
him away from me." She sighs and pulls a catacomb through her luxurious hair.
"Maybe if he only showed some spunk..."

The Alley
The entrance to the Alley is the main stomping ground for a vicious canine
named Bowser Von Spike. He's not too fond of cats in general, and he's got a
special grudge against Freddy, who's always hanging around his turf. Bowser
likes his home feline-free. When he comes woofing down the alley, you'd better
get Freddy to high ground quickly. If he's caught by Bowser, Freddy loses one
life— and being the reckless cat he is, Freddy starts the game already six lives
in the hole. He's only got three left to lose!
The garbage cans scattered about are safe from Bowser, and they let Freddy
reach the fence. The short cans can be reached by a standing jump, while a
well-timed running jump can get Freddy on the tall cans.
Freddy can only reach the fence-top from the tall cans. If you can't get the tim ­
ing right for a running jump, hop onto a short can that's next to a tall one, and
then jump diagonally.
Fletcher the Cat also lives in the alley. Fletcher is a scrawny white mouser who
doesn't get to eat very often, so he spends most of his time foraging for left­
overs in the garbage cans. Every now and then Fletcher will pop his head out
to see who's causing all the racket. If Freddy is sitting on the can Fletcher pops
out of, he'll be knocked back down to the ground.
And if that's not bad enough, Bowser and Fletcher have worked out a "gentle­
man's agreement." Fletcher makes a noise when he tips Freddy off that calls
Bowser to the scene!

The Clothesline
Once Freddy's up on the fence, he can reach the clothesline. Freddy can't hold
onto the line itself, but he can hang from any clothes he snags. This enables
Freddy to move around in search of open windows.
A playing tip: If you're having a hard time getting around on the clothesline,
make diagonal jumps. They sweep Freddy across a wider area, so he has a
better chance of grabbing something on his way down.
Freddy doesn't have the clothesline to himself, of course. There are three mice:
Hick, Dick and Doc. Their idea of great fun is to pull the clothespins out and
dump Freddy to the ground. Freddy can eat the mice and earn points: 50 for
Hick, 70 for Dick, and 90 for Doc.
Freddy doesn't earn many points with the tenants of the Catalina Condominiums,
however. If Freddy's howling for Felicia doesn't put them in a sour mood, all
the uproar going on out on the clothesline does. They try to persuade Freddy
to go elsewhere by hurling garbage at him. If they score a lucky hit, scratch
one more life!
If Freddy stays on the clothesline long enough, he can try to slip into one of the
open w indows— and enter the Condominiums.
The Catalina Condominiums
In each room, there is a prize or group of prizes that Freddy has to win. When
Freddy completes the given task, he earns bonus points with Felicia. The "Peak
Reading Cat LED Graph" on the bonus screen shows how pleased Felicia is
with Freddy's performance. The actual bonus value is figured by the room's dif­
ficulty and how long it took to complete it.
If Freddy fails to complete the room (either by dying or accidentally leaping
back out of the window), he earns no points.

The Mad Housekeeping Broom

In most of the rooms Freddy will encounter the Mad Housekeeping Broom,
a sweeper with a fetish for cleanliness.
Have a bit of sympathy for her; she spends all day dusting and sweeping, and
then Freddy comes in and leaves paw prints all over the floor! This has hap­
pened often enough that the mere sight of a cat drives her into a frenzy. As
soon as she spots Freddy she will try to sweep him out the window.
The only way Freddy can avoid her wrath is to distract her by leaving a muddy
trail. Every time he passes over the floor, he leaves another layer of mud:
Freddy can leave up to four layers of dirt at a time. The more layers there are,
the more swipes it takes the Broom to clean up.
If Freddy spends too much time on the floor, however, the Broom is likely to
call Bowser for help.
ROOM DESCRIPTIONS
The Aviary
Freddy must first free Petey the Parakeet by pushing his birdcage off the table.
Once Petey is loose, Freddy can catch him.

The Pantry
The slice of cheese in this room is home to four mice named Eeny, Meeny, Miny,
and Moe, and Freddy must catch them all.
The holes in the cheese are connected by tunnels. When Freddy is hanging
from one of the holes, pressing the Fire button will make him pop through the
tunnel to the connecting hole. This way he can sneak up on an unsuspecting
rodent and nab him.

The Kennel
An eccentric old lady keeps her dogs in this room. These lazy mutts sleep the
day away in relative bliss— unless, of course, a pesky cat wanders in. They
hate the smell of cats, and if Freddy sits next to one too long, they'll start to
wake up.
Freddy must capture all of the dogs' dishes by draining the milk from them.
Pressing the Fire button w ill cause Freddy to drink from each dish. Keep drink­
ing until you see the dish disappear, but drink quickly, because there's a milk
carton in the room with strict instructions to keep the dishes full!
There is one thing the dogs hate more than the smell of cats: the sound of a
cat lapping up their milk. Be careful.
The Library
This room belongs to an odd gentleman named Nick Cromancer. He keeps
three vases full of rare Ceygolian Dandy-Lions on top of his bookcase. These
flowers are highly prized by those of the feline persuasion, and it's Freddy's
job to grab them. Climb the case by hanging on to the shelves where there
are no books.
There is one catch: Mr. Cromancer has left two spiders— distant cousins of
the Salivating Spiders from Sith— to guard his delicate flowers, and they have
a nasty bite.

The Aquarium Room

Freddy must jump up and touch the aquarium sitting on the table. When he
touches it, he will fall in.

Scuba-Cat
Once inside the aquarium, Freddy must eat all 12 fish without touching any of
the high-voltage electric eels in the tank.
When Freddy dives underwater, he will gradually change color as his breath
runs out. When he turns bright pink, he is in serious danger of drowning. Swim
Freddy back up to the surface to get more air.
GOING FOR FELICIA
When Freddy completes a room, he attracts Felicia’s attention. She will then
appear in the window and call for him. Jump Freddy into the window, and he
w ill get a chance to kiss her.
The Cupid Room
This room holds a flock of cupids, who like to fly around and shoot their arrows
at random in totally meaningless directions (it helps them relax). The Blue cup­
ids turn Red hearts into broken hearts, and the Red cupids change them back
into whole hearts again. If Freddy walks on a broken heart, he will fall through
to the level below.
Felicia is at the top of the screen waiting for Freddy, and he must evade her
brothers to reach her. If he touches any brother, he will hiss and knock Freddy
down. Freddy can, however, bribe the brothers to go away for awhile.
Each time Freddy wins a room, he gets a gift-wrapped box. To pick up a gift,
walk Freddy over it, and he w ill flash to show that he has the gift. Press the Fire
button to set the gift back down. (You cannot set one gift down on top of an­
other.) When a gift is placed on a brother cat's level, he will unwrap it and take
the gift away. (Note: Due to the weight of the gifts, Freddy can only carry one
at a time).
Felicia actually has six brothers, but the youngest one, Sammy, is hardly ever on
time. Don't let Freddy sit on the bottom level too long, or Sammy may show up.
The Payoff
If Freddy makes it all the way to the top, he will get his kiss, plus bonus points
for the length of time it took him to win the level. The time is multiplied by a bonus
that goes up for each difficulty level. If you can get Freddy to the top with a gift
still in his paws, he will earn double bonus points.
After the kiss, Freddy will get a bonus life (up to his maximum of nine), and
a chance to win another kiss from Felicia on the next difficulty level.
Happy Prowling!
WARRANTY
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(not including the computer programs) shall be free from any defects in materials or workm an­
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sette/disk at SYNAPSE's option, provided the cassette/disk and proof of purchase is deliv­
ered or mailed, postage prepaid, to SYNAPSE.
This w arranty shall not apply if the cassette/disk (1) has been misused or shows signs of exces­
sive wear, (2) has been damaged by playback equipment, or (3) if the purchaser permits the
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Acknowledgements
To Jim for some well-timed suggestions; the Schneider clan, for diligent playtesting; the rest of
the folks at Synapse, for advice and good humor; my parents Dan and Ilah, for many days of
solo carpentry; my cat Ira, for being fat; my wife Martha, for an incredible amount of patience
and terminal silliness; and, of course Ihor, for tolerance, long-distance inspiration, and all tilings
that begin with the letter "P"
 or Atari Home Computers (48K disk and cassette) and joystick.
Freddy the Cat is king of the alley— and you're in control as he jumps over
rash cans and fences to hitch a ride on a loaded clothesline. But watch out!
Bowser Von Spike has his eye on you, and the darned mice are always causing
rouble. Jump through an open window and you're into an entirely new scenario
each of the seven different rooms. You'll be chasing mice, fish, and canaries,
avoiding Cupid's arrows and meeting all your girlfriend's brothers in the fun
niest feline follies ever. Incredible cartoon graphics and an original music score
makes ALLEY CAT the cat's meow.