"Frogger Madness"

Frogger is one another one of the classic games from 1981, a year the had some the finest games ever (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Castle Wolfenstein, Galaga, and Zork just to name a few...) and Frogger is definitely part of one of those lists of just plain and simple truly awesome games. And also was one of the first classic games made by the popular Sega branch.

Graphics:
Once again, like most of the excellent games of the 1981 era, they took a step away from the Sci-Fi ship blasting bonanza and into more a more cute and colorful approach that proves to be enjoyable and appropriate for a game like Frogger. It's fun too see the little guy squirm across the road and avoid the many, and I mean many obstacles that are in the way. Nice options also include the Alligator's mouth movements and turtles diving in and out of the water.

Sound/Music:
If the music in frogger sounds familiar, that's because it's just simple re-worked tunes of Yankee Doodle and Camptown Races, which may seem funny without hearing them, as they are quite fun and enjoyable through this game. Also for the record, this game features some of the best sound effects you'll hear from an arcade era 1981, and that's actually saying quite a bit.
10/10.

Enjoyment/Story:
There isn't much of a story to Frogger other then this is a quick "Why did the Frog cross the road?" type deal. But it doesn't matter as once again, this is innovative and a blast to play. Why is that, other then the obvious high score, there are several ways to good ways to get a good high score, other then just getting there in good time (which is no easy task in higher up levels) you can save small frogs on the logs during the level, and also pick up fireflies in the holes you try to save yourself in. But with great items, comes great dangers as well. From the slow moving trucks and bulldozers to the high speed F-1 Racers on the high way, to the snakes on the path and logs, to the alligators and turtles trying to slow your way across, this game had tons of different looking and acting creatures that tried to stop you. And that's what makes this game so great and a true classic, because it's one of the games where there seemed about a million things to pay attention to at once and were simple to learn.
a big 10/10.

Challenge/Re-Play Value:
The game can actually get quite difficult, in the later stages, especially to get into that first top hole. And the challenge just to get past the road becomes quite a feat. Not to mention the fun factor getting involved. If there is one complain, is that the whole game takes place only one screen, and the layout never changes. Why not mix things up a bit? Ah well. That's minor nit-picking, and every game has it's problems. This is still supremely solid.
9/10.

Overall, this game is a surely worth any quarters you have on you if you see it anywhere. This game was never a the pop icon game that Pac-Man or Donkey Kong were, but it still got it's justice on an episode of Seinfeld where George tries to get a copy of the game for himself to play. To appear in that sort of magnitude, you'll surely know how truly classic this game is, and should be played at least once by any video game enthusiast. A Golden classic.
10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/04