Well, this is an interesting game for the Atari 2600, even if there isn't much to it.
A really simple game, this. You and another frog jump around and compete to see who can jump around and eat more flies before it gets dark. While this seems like a game that you could get either for free or for 99 cents now, this went for full retail price back in the day.
There is a one-player mode and a two-player mode. Player 1 is the grey frog, while Player 2 is the red frog. The red frog stays still for fifteen seconds to allow for Player 2 to jump in at the beginning of a game before the computer takes over. You can also stay still for fifteen seconds and have a computer vs. computer match, which is pretty neat.
The real game changer, however, comes in the difficulty switches.
On B/Novice, you have simple controls which make it easier for young kids and those without video game skills to play. On this difficulty, pressing any direction on the joystick allows you to jump from one lilypad to the other regardless of where you go, while pressing the fire button sticks the frog's tongue out to eat the flies, which do not move around much on this difficulty and either move from one side of the screen to the other or double back halfway. On B/Novice only, if you're near a fly, the frog will stick its tongue out automatically. You have until the background turns black - which is about three minutes - to eat more flies than your opponent and get more points. At the end of the game, both frogs jump away, and a firefly shows up with the words "The End." You can then reset and even change difficulty switch settings.
On A/Expert, you have more control over where your frog goes, but it definitely takes some practice. Even then, it's a nice bit of fun. Left and Right on the joystick move left and right, while holding Up allows for more high-angle jumps and holding Down allows for more shallow jumps. Holding neither Up or Down allows for a medium angle jump that is a happy medium between Up and Down. Up and Down on their own allow for jumps straight up, both high-angle and shallow respectively. Tapping a direction allows for a short jump, while holding the direction allows for a longer one. If you fall into the water, you'll have to wait for the frog to swim back to the lily pad, but when you get there, you can control where he jumps next if you hold the direction down as you surface. This is a good thing, as the flies move around a lot more on A/Expert. You'll also have to press the fire button to eat the flies once you're near them no matter what, as the tongue won't automatically dart out like on B/Novice. The game is still three minutes long, and you'll still get the firefly telling you the game is over at the end.
This is a fun game. It's fun enough of B/Novice, but the real fun begins on A/Expert, where it almost feels like you're jumping on the moon as you're experimenting with movement and figuring things out. As for the graphics and sound, they're pretty simple and minimal, but they get the job done. It's a shame that not many people talk about this, but to be fair, there's not much to this game and there's more to virtually any other game on the system than there is to this one. It's still a fun game to play with friends, though, and worth checking out at least once.
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