Catching Mice: timing, targets and leaving the frog alone

Catching Mice is a game of watching and waiting. A 5×6 field of burrows fills the barn floor; mice peek out, then leave their holes and run between the rows.** Tapping a face still tucked in its burrow does nothing. Play it in your browser or on Android.

The campaign

Thirty timed levels sit on a level map, and each one has its own mix of targets: grey mice, baby mice, fast runners, cheese mice or kings, and later goals such as total catches, coins, a streak or a strict limit on misses. Meet every target and the level ends at once — and time left on the clock turns into extra coins.

A level also ends when the timer runs out or you reach five misses.

Not everything is a target

• Snakes slither across a row. Striking one can cost a miss unless you have a shield ready.
• Rabbits, frogs, chicks and hedgehogs wander out as decoys. Hitting one costs points and breaks your streak.

Streaks

Catches made close together raise the score multiplier through several tiers. An escape resets the chain and adds a miss. A clean, deliberate run is worth more than tapping at every movement.

The barn shop

Coins buy gear with clear effects:

• the net widens your catch radius,
• the clamp slows runners,
• a snake shield absorbs one dangerous strike,
• an automatic trap catches one roaming mouse,
• a lantern reveals active burrows at the start of a level.

Endless mode

No campaign timer: the run continues until you leave, getting faster and busier the longer you last. It is the place to practise recognising mouse types and to stretch your streak without touching campaign progress.

Five habits

1. Wait until the mouse is fully out of its hole.
2. Check the objective panel — catch what the level needs, not just what is nearest.
3. Look twice when several animals cross together.
4. Leave the snakes and visitors alone.
5. Protect the streak; one wild tap can cost more than one missed mouse.

More on the Catching Mice page, or open the barn.