Program: Frogger
Price: $19.95
ROM/RAM required?: 8K/16K
Printed listings?: No
Program listable?: No
Language: Machine Code
From: The Cornsoft Group
6008 N. Keystone Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 37217
Frogger helps Timex step up to the big time arcade with fast action, good medium resolution graphics and a challenge tough to beat.
You start with five frogs who must safely reach the far side of a busy highway and then cross a pond to get back home. You must first avoid six countercurrent vehicles as the frog moves up the screen. Keyboard controls let you move your frog in four directions to avoid oncoming cars. Mistakes here produce some cute squashed frogs.
Once across the highway, a swamp full of crocodiles, snakes and diving turtles confronts you. To get your frog home you must safely hop from one creature to another as they swim.
Special features in this section give you insects to eat and points for escorting lady frogs.
Complaints: Cornsoft provides terse instructions. Frogger loads in an agonizing four minutes and 15 seconds. Because of machine code programming, you cannot BREAK out of the game unless you use their break code 5T. This leaves the keyboard locked up, forcing you to reload to play again. (Cornsoft advises going easy on the keyboard to avoid RAM pack wobbling.–Ed.)
This software, like others, cannot accept different joystick codes. Frogger, of course, has no sound, a slight annoyance.
Despite these negative points, Frogger’s fine game action earns Cornsoft an A for effort.