Hopper

Personal Computer Games

Graphics 7/10

Sound 6/10

Ease Of Use 7/10

Originality 3/10

Lasting Interest 6/10

Overall 7/10

Wensley Dale 7/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 16K JOYSTICK: Kempston, Optional CATEGORY: Arcade SUPPLIER: PSS PRICE: £5.95 Hopping is what frogs do, so it's no surprise that Hopper is another version of Frogger. The object of all Frogger games is to manoeuvre frogs across busy roads and dangerous rivers, without getting run over, eaten by crocodiles, or otherwise terminally squelched. In this version, you have 10 frogs, and the highway has six lanes. Traffic moves at different speeds in each lane, so that any gaps in the traffic are transient. On the other side of the highway, there's a railway, where trains sit around until, generally at the most inconvenient time, they are shunted away. Then there's the river, where drifting logs and turtles can be hopped upon, and crocodiles and drowning avoided. If you manage all these, there are five safe lily-pads to reach. When they're full, the hazards gently escalate. The frog can be moved with a Kempston joystick or with the keyboard, and the latter is actually easier since it educes the rather high incidence of hopping two lanes when you only wanted to hop one. Unlike real life, it's easy to get run over by the back of a receding car, and once you've hit the road, you can't hop back to the starting side again. As for sound effects, there's frog croaks as well as some irritating musical themes - for some reason, 'Rule Britannia' is played if you drown in the water. But this is unfair - Hopper offers much in the way of obstacles, it runs smoothly, and it has clear graphics. Frogger has spawned many versions, and this one leapfrogs others. Hop out and buy it.

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 6/10

FAST ACTION IN ARCADE FAVOURITES Krazy Kong and Frogger are two original arcade games which PSS has converted to the 16K Spectrum. The name of the latter game has been changed to Hopper. In Krazy Kong you have to get up a tower of scaffolding, using a series of ladders, to save Jane from King Kong, avoiding fireballs, barrels, pies, lifts and flans. If that is not difficult enough the authors have made it almost impossible to get a good control of the movement keys, as they are so close together. You may also have difficulty starting the game, as the control keys are in the top left-hand corner of the keyboard and the start key is at the bottom right. Hopper is not much easier, although the control keys are all in a better position for play. The difficulty is in the speed of movement which can make you take several jumps at a time. All the usual elements are there, including turtles, crocodiles, a train and some fast cars on the highway but they make the screen overcrowded and it is difficult to follow the path of your frog. That does not make the game unusable but it would be suited to those with knowledge of Frogger who can cope with fast play or many options - is not the beginner. Both games can he obtained from PSS, [redacted]. Cost: £5.95 each.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online