Berzerk is one of the few games in existence for which the sequel is far superior. ColecoVision Frenzy was not just a rehash released to make some quick money. Instead, it was created with special care and attention to detail.

There are so many exciting elements in this game that it's surprising that there hasn't been much mention of it in online talks or old publications about classic games. Most ColecoVision games were superior in most every way to those on other consoles, including most computer adaptations of the period; but Frenzy goes beyond just "good game." It is rapidly becoming one of our favorite games of the period and is easily one of the best for the ColecoVision. Check it out. You won't be sorry.

For one thing, it makes Berzerk look positively one-dimensional; but this isn't really a fair comparison. They're two different games. If you want simple'n'sweet, play Berzerk. Frenzy is a more involved adventure requiring a more multi-faceted strategy, more complex maze-wending and wider peripheral vision.

It really fulfills the meaning of the word "sequel," we'll tell ya that. The mazes are randomly generated, and are mostly comprised of walls you can shoot up. You can even create your own exit from any room by shooting a wide enough gap in a border wall!

There are also shot-rebounding walls, and nothing's more thrilling than being at one end of a corridor made of these reflective surfaces and seeing a bunch of robots walking toward you from the other end. You can let a barrage of bullets fly at any diagonal angle toward them, and watch your shots bounce back and forth until the poor shmucks walk into the line of fire. It's great how a bullet lasts through several bounces, even if it's just retracing its own path at a straight vertical or horizontal angle. It takes forever to dissipate.

While this bounce effect may seem frustrating at first since you can be killed by your own shots, it can be put to great use. One strategy of the game is to bounce your shot at an angle that makes it hit a robot in a remote area of the maze.

The game is executed flawlessly. The animation is smooth and varied, and the music -- versatile and mood-setting for an old home contest -- is often surprisingly intricate. The graphics, sounds and mechanics were worked-on very hard by whichever programmer 'ported this to the ColecoVision, and the elements make the game feel decidedly classic, even if you've never played the coin-op original which we haven t). It brings back visions of dark, old-school arcades as your heart races in hopes of escaping through the gangs of mechanical fiends, or shooting the new Evil Otto three times before he gets to your hero (during which his expression gets meaner and meaner before he finally deflates).

The other superbly crafted and incorporated extras are the special devices, one of which appears in the middle of every few screens. Shooting whichever machine appears deactivates if. There is a robot factory that churns out new enemies until you blast it, a computer that destroys all onscreen baddies if you hit it, a device that stops the villains' collective movement when zapped and, perhaps strangest of all, a huge Evil Otto who smiles when you die and frowns when you exit the current maze. This Big Otto assumes a scary growling expression and sends out an unavoidable barrage of Ottos from the borders if you kill his smaller counterpart.

This is a fantastic game, made even more fun by the system's fortunate ability to accept 2600 joysticks. Its longetivity is assured, and it stands out as one of the select few consistently exciting ColecoVision games that have no discernable weak spots. Essential!

 

This review appeared in Video Magic, issue 139 (June / July 1998). The Video Magic review is a combined reworking of two original reviews that appeared in OC&GS (Volume II, Issue 3, April 1998) in the OC&GS Review Panel.