FROGGER ’07

Main review

The first Frogger was developed by Konami and released back in 1981 as a coin-op game. Due to it’s huge popularity it was soon ported to various home systems including the PC and a huge number of clones can also be found.

I’m sure most people have at least heard of Frogger in the past and many have played and enjoyed it on different systems ranging from the arcade coin-ops to the Atari 2600 and C64. Well guess what? Glen Richards (Victragic on the Denial forum) has released a new and improved homebrew version of Frogger recently for the expanded VIC 20 called Frogger ’07. The story remains basically the same; you control a green frog which you have to get to the other side safely. There are plenty of obstacles to ensure that your job isn’t all that easy.

I believe the game is aimed to be as similar to the original as possible; graphics are colorful albeit somewhat blocky, yet the game runs extremely smoothly! The in-game music is simple and there’s a minimum of sound effects.

As in the original Frogger your goal is to cross a busy road and a river. Later levels include crocodiles hiding between the logs, faster moving cars, snakes and so on. You can also collect different bonuses along the way which include escorting a white frog and catching a fly. Sounds easy but it’s not! I hate to admit it, I found myself struggling with the first level for quite some time as there are plenty of ways to die and, to make things harder, every level is timed. This in turn means you can’t exactly spend half a day solving a level. It gets slightly easier as you play more often but it remains challenging enough for an average player.

So what else is there to say about Frogger ’07? It’s simple, fun and addictive. Definitely worth a try!

Second opinion

So where do you start with a review of a classic video game of yester-year? This version of the venerable classic has everything that you’d expect to find in the 1981 arcade classic. There’s the five lanes of traffic, the median, then the five lanes to cross the river complete with diving turtles, crocodiles, logs, bonuses etc.

The graphics, accepting the limitations of the VIC are simple, clear and effective and nicely animated where appropriate – even the turtles have little swishing tails! The subtle variations in the speed each lane is scrolling is accomplished very well. The varied music, a medley of familiar tunes, gives you a good, old-fashioned arcade feeling, but after a while it does tend to get a little annoying… the wife even “politely requested” that I might like to turn “that annoying racket off!” The movement of your frog is fantastic, leaping smoothly from one position to another with the responsiveness you need to time those tricky jumps, which are made even more difficult when the timer is diving into the red and the warning sound starts.

It would certainly be easier to review if I was any better at it than I am (I’m not going to reveal my hi-score). I’m sure this is nothing to do with the difficulty curve as every time I play, I tend to get a little bit further – just not very much further. As a faithful conversion, at least there is an on screen hi-score that provides the incentive to give it just one more go to see if you can beat your previous attempt. That’s something this version has in spades – the just one more go vibe and, as far as VIC 20 games go, this one’s a classic.