Frogger by Parker Brothers Leapin' Frogger! Home may look like it's only a hop, skip, and a jump away, but looks can be deceiving. First, there's a dangerous highway to hop across, full of cars and trucks. Then there's a swirling river to leap, full of frog-eating creatures. How's Frogger going to get home safely? By letting you hop him on his way. Guide Frogger safely through this perilous journey, and you'll jump for joy! OBJECT The object of the game is to hop as many frogs to safety as you can--and to score the most points along the way! SETTING THE CONSOLE CONTROLS 1. Make sure the cartridge is placed firmly in the cartridge slot. 2. Turn the OFF/ON switch to ON. You'll see the initial screen. 3. Press 1 for a 1-player game or 2 for a 2-player game. 4. Press 3 for a slow game speed or 4 for a fast game speed. If you choose the "fast" option the floating objects will begin each level by moving at a slow speed and then increasing to a faster rate after a short period of time. 5. Press 5 to turn the music off or 6 to turn the music on. A note appears at the bottom of the screen when the music IS on. 6. To start press *. PLAYING Frogger's journey takes him from the sidewalk across a busy highway to the riverbank and across the river to home bay and safety. You'll start the game with 5 frogs. The first frog is shown on the sidewalk below the traffic. The remaining frogs are shown in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. TIME BAND You have only a limited amount of time to move Frogger from the sidewalk and into a home bay, one of the blue, open-ended squares at the top of the screen. Time is monitored by the time band, the red line located in the bottom right- hand corner of the screen. You have approximately 25 seconds, or 48 "ticks" on the cartridge timer, to move Frogger home. If you run out of time before you get Frogger home, you'll "splooch" him (lose him). You'll hear a sound, then see a skull and crossbones on the spot where Frogger was when his time ran out. However, if you take Frogger home before the time band disappears, you'll see "TIME" and the number of "ticks" you had left displayed above the time band. You'll score 10 points for each remaining "tick" of time. FROM THE SIDEWALK TO THE RIVERBANK Frogger starts his perilous journey on the sidewalk facing 4 lanes of cars and trucks. As soon as the music starts to play, you're ready to start Frogger hopping! Try to get Frogger through the lanes of traffic. Traffic travels in alternating directions and at different speeds so be careful. Frogger will get "splooched" if he touches any part of a vehicle or is run over! FROM THE RIVERBANK ACROSS THE RIVER Because Frogger can't swim in the river (the current is too strong), hop him from one row of logs, turtles, or alligators onto the next in order to cross it. 1. Logs: Frogger can hop from side to side on a log; he can also jump forward and backward onto another floating object. But he'll land in the river if he leaps to the left or right off a log. 2. Turtles: The tan objects that float on the river are the turtles. Frogger can hop on their backs as well as between a set of them (2 or 3 turtles in a row). He can jump forward and backward from a turtle onto another floating object. But he'll land in the river if he jumps to the left or right off either of the end turtles. 3. Diving Turtles: These tricky turtles can float on the water and dive under the water! When they're tan, it's safe for Frogger to jump on their backs. But once they turn blue, watch out! That means they're getting ready to dive, so hop Frogger onto another floating object fast! If you're not quick enough, Frogger will get "splooched ." But these turtles can't stay underwater forever. When you see a set of blue turtles suddenly appear on the screen, this means they're coming up for air. They'll soon be changing from blue to tan, so Frogger will be safe on their backs until they dive again. While crossing the river, here are some other things to watch for: 1. Lady Frog: Occasionally you' 11 see a white "lady" frog on a log. Hop Frogger onto the log to try to rescue her. If you do, you'll hear a sound, then you won't see the white frog. Now try to get Frogger home to safety. When you do, you'll earn bonus points. 2. Alligators: There are alligators floating in the river. They'll snap their jaws open and closed, just waiting for a tender Frogger morsel to jump their way! Frogger is safe on an alligator's body or on its mouth when it is closed, but he's a goner if he jumps into the alligator's open jaws! 3. Snakes: Snakes will appear on the riverbank and on the logs as the game gets more difficult. Keep Frogger away from any part of the snake or Frogger will get "splooched ." 4. Otters: The river otters are very fast swimmers, and they'll try to grab Frogger off the end of a log or a row of turtles. Keep Frogger as far away from them as possible, or he'll get "splooched." 5. Floating Off-Screen: Be careful not to let Frogger float off-screen. If he does, he'll reappear "splooched" and you'll lose him. FROM THE RIVER TO HOME BAY Successfully hop Frogger into a home bay, and he's safe and sound! You'll score points each time you bring Frogger home, and get bonus points each time you bring 5 frogs home. When leaping Frogger into his home bay, here are some things to watch for: 1. Jumping Home: Hop Frogger into a home bay when he's directly in front of it. If Frogger hits any part of the green shrubbery on the sides of the home bay, he'll get "splooched ." 2. Occupied Home Bay: Frogger can't jump into a home bay that's occupied by another frog. 3. Alligator's Head: If an alligator's head is showing in a home bay, it's not safe for Frogger to jump in. However, if the head is just beginning to show, Frogger won't he harmed. 4. Fly: If you hop Frogger into a home bay while a fly is showing, Frogger gets a free meal--and you score extra points. GAME DIFFICULTY Each time you bring 5 frogs home, you'll hear a short tune. Then the game will continue at a more difficult level with your remaining frogs. The speed of the cars and trucks will vary from lane to lane. Traffic patterns will change. There will be fewer floating objects on the river and the speed of the objects will vary from slow to fast. Frogger-eating snakes will appear on the riverbank there will be fewer turtles and logs, and otters will swim around in the river. END OF GAME The game ends when no frogs are left. To play the same game again, press *. To play a different game, press #, then follow the instructions In Setting the Console Controls. To start over when you're in the middle of a game, press the RESET button, then follow the instructions in Setting the Console Controls. GAME LEVELS Frogger has 4 game levels, all for one- or two-player action. Once you successfully complete the 4 levels you will continue to play, repeating level 4, until you lose all your frogs. Above the Time Band you will see a number of diamonds. This indicates the level you are playing. More than 4 diamonds indicates a repetition of the 4th level. A maximum of 8 diamonds can appear on the screen. Two-Player Games: The left player goes first; players then alternate turns. Your turn ends when you lose a frog; you begin your turn again with your remaining frogs. The game ends once both players have lost all their frogs. SCORING The score is displayed on the bottom of the screen, in the middle. In a one- player game, your score is displayed throughout the game. In a two-player game, whoever is up has his or her score displayed. Points accumulate as follows: Successfully jumping Frogger forward ......10 points Successfully jumping Frogger home .........50 points Successfully jumping 5 frogs home .......1000 points Take a lady frog home ....................200 points Eating a fly .............................200 points Extra points for time remaining ...........10 points per remaining tick Every time you score a total of 10,000 points you'll get another Frogger!