Dragon User
1st November 1987
Bargain Screens
When Wayne Smithson started writing Frankie it was as an alternative to Roy Coates's 100 screen game Talisman which never made it to the market so this is the only 100 screen game around. As well as being a one-of-a-kind game it has the only loading systems of its type which scrolls the instructions across the middle of the screen while it loads, and the game takes about the same length of time to load as the average Dragon game.
The game can be in one of two colour sets: MODE3, SCREEN1,0 or PMODE4, SCREEN1,1. You can use joystick or keyboard and there is of course a 'reserved' section which is called Hacker's Delight, which has been mentioned in The Expert's column.
There is an option to re-design the screens in which you can save and load the screens.
On to the game. You are Frankie Stein (sick, I know!) who has to collect all the keys on the screen in order to go on to the next screen. Trying hard to stop you are eyes, feet, noses, mouths, hands, vampire bats and even Egor, sent to fire lightning bolts at you. Thankfully you have a defence against this lot - a laser! - but when you use it your energy goes down and when your energy gets to zero you lose a life. To top it all you have collapsing platforms, killer pads and conveyer belts. Thank heavens for Hacker's Delight!
I can't give Frankie five out of five, as it isn't quite addictive enough, but it's definitely worth four at the price.
Screenshots
