The objective of Catch 'Em is to catch all falling objects. Each level features a different object falling. When any object is missed, you lose a life, and your paddle, which you use to catch the objects, shrinks with one paddle. When a 'bad object' like a lightning bolt is caught, you also lose a life. You can re-win this life, but you can't have more lives than your 3 starting lives. Subsequent levels get more and more difficult simply because of the speed. Every four levels, a bonus level appears where you may or may not avoid all objects: it's simply for points.