Frenzy looks a little like the well known game Berzerk, and that’s because it’s a sequel to the much loved maze runner come shooter. In Frenzy you have to run around the maze killing and avoiding being killed, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. As soon as you load up the game the action starts, with several enemies swarming towards you, so it’s time to run and gun to save your hide. The enemies home in on you quickly though, so don’t hang around too long deciding which way to run.
The action is what gives this game its name, it keeps you in a frenzy at all times, trying to shoot your way out of tight corners and then make a run for it. All the on screen enemies fire at you and each other constantly, and to add to the frenzy the walls can be of different designs, with some causing bullets to bounce off them which can be used to your advantage with a ricochet shot, and some walls which can be shot through. The trouble is those walls are a double edged sword, you can ricochet a shot, but you need to watch out for ricocheting enemy bullets too. Shoot through a wall to hit an enemy, but that wall also can’t be used to shield you from the mayhem either as the bullets will get through to you.
Running out of one screen to the next also isn’t always good as you might not be able to go back, and the next room can be even more manic than the one before. Clear a room for some bonus points, but watch out for the robot attacks, and smiley face man who isn’t as friendly as his visage would suggest.
Frenzy is a fast paced game on the Colecovision, with some nicely animated big bold graphics. Your man moves smoothly and all the multi coloured enemies (men and octopi) move quickly with no flicker. The sound is excellent, with a nicely themed background tune which matches the frenetic feel of the game.
Frenzy on the Colecovision lives up to the name, fast paced action, but at times just a little too fast as I found myself dying often. It’s not difficult to pick up but is very challenging to stay alive for long.
Score 8/10
