"One of the BEST Atari 2600 games, period."

Back in the early 80s, video games were a breeding ground for copy cat games. There were dozens of Pac Man and Space Invader clones being pumped out by companies wanting to emulate the original's success. So what happens when a game is actually original? Well, it turns out to be pretty damn good, as was the case for Frogger. And it ported to the 2600 pretty good too.

The object of Frogger is simple. You have to guide a frog accross the dangerous highway, and over the dangerous river. You can move your frog up, down left and right to do this with. The first part is the highway. The highway is no picnic, as cars drive along it quite recklessly. You'll have to have quick reflexes to get accross it. When you're accross the highway, you then have to cross the river. You'll notice that there are lily pads, logs and alligators floating down the river. You'll have to use these to get accross, as your frog apparently can't swim. If you stand on an alligator too long it'll eat you, and if you're on anything too long, it'll scroll you right off the screen, killing you. On some of the logs you'll find a female frog which you can get for extra points. You can't just cross the river anywhere, you have to end up in one of the little inlets on the other side, otherwise you'll die. There are four inlets, and after you get a frog accross, you'll have to get another one accross. Once you fill all four inlets with frogs, it's on to the next level which is the same, but faster and tougher.

The graphics of this game seem to be made for the 2600. They seem pretty blocky and pixelized, but it seems to work well with Frogger. You never once will question if you're frog is really a frog, of if what is about to run you over is actually a car. The sound, like most 2600 games, is mostly bloops and bleeps, but they sound pretty good, considering the hardware.

If you're a 2600 buff, and you like having fun, then you simply must have Frogger. Sure, you COULD buy Frogger on one of the other console systems, but Frogger is excellant for the 2600, and you can probably find it for little or no money. It's sure to entertain you whenever you're feeling bored, and it controls pretty well too.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 08/07/01