Commodore User


Jumpin' Jack

Publisher: Livewire
Machine: Commodore Vic 20

 
Published in Commodore User #9

Jumpin' Jack

Another spinoff of that arcade favourite Frogger. In this Jack has been out for a night on the Lily ponds (tiles); it's now daylight and Jacks has to get back home for a good day's rest. But the traffic is roaring across the road; and the river currents are flowing strongly, and would easily drown any frog that dared to cross it.

Your job is to guide a wary Jack across to his home in one piece. First, you have to get him across a three-lane motorway, then you have to negotiate the hazardous river. But help is at hand; you are aided by these white blobs with six growths (head, tail and legs) which form the turtle. There are also logs which you can hop on to as they float by until you reach home. Once you have seen Jack safely across five times you go on to the next screen and it gets harder; the cars move faster, the logs get shorter, there are fewer turtles to help you.

The graphics are fair, but the sound and movements leave a lot to be desired. The movements of Jack and the other moving parts are very jerky; the sound... well, it plays this silly tune throughout the game which dorve me to despair. On the whole a fair game, but nothing to write home about.