Great Lily Pads, Frogger's back in town!! That wonderful, lovable green frog is back again and leaps into your gamer's heart from the moment the game begins. Hasbro has brought Frogger back and his dreaded rival Swampy the Crocodile and a brand new character in the form of Frogger's new girlfriend, Lillie Frog. The characters may be familiar, but this game brings a whole new set of challenged, millennium style!

As the game opens we find our green jumping friend Frogger in a quandary. Frogger's long time green-with-envy enemy, Swampy the Crocodile, has had enough of the swamp's admiration and adoration of the much-loved frog. He is going to do something about this -- and when all is said and done, he will become the new King of the Swamp. But how in the world will he overthrow Frogger??? This is where the fun comes in!

Creeping into Lillie's and Frogger's pond, Crocodile kidnaps Lillie Frog's baby and brothers and sisters! The tadpole babies are gone and it is up to Frogger and Lillie to save them, and they need your help!! The babies are hidden and Lillie and Frogger will have to travel the corners of the world to find them and bring them back to their home in the pond.

Throughout the game you will see several objects to help Frogger complete his mission. One is a super-hop which, when used, will give Frogger the ability to jump higher than he normally can. Not enough height? Never fear! Double hop when engaged will allow Frogger to jump even higher -- and believe me, it is a hop you have to see!! If height is not what you need, then another help is Float. This allows Frogger to slowly float to the ground while he waits to hitch a ride on a turtle.

One of my favorites of this game is the Power Croak. It is the SOS of the frog world! This is a sonar form of communication between Frogger and the babies. When Frogger uses it, the babies reply; and with it, he can pinpoint their location. Players can also find a key to allow Frogger to use his bug zapping tongue to collect power-ups and bonuses. Most important though are the gold coins! With these you can earn hidden extras that will make the rescue successful. One hint, you must land on the coin itself. Only after you have collected all the gold coins on a level can you then go to the next; and with each level completion, you are given a new secret. Watch for the message, which will appear on your screen, as it will help you keep track of what you have earned.

You will love the obstacles the game has placed in your way to help you rescue the mischievous missing pond babies!. You will meet warthogs, killer bees and lawnmowers, which are all put in the path to stop the mission. The lawnmowers are great and, I have to admit, challenging though fun. Frogger is as lovable as ever and the addition of Lillian is a real bonus. The multi faceted babies are adorable. Cute in appearance they are also curious, finding themselves in trouble more than once. This game is hopping with hours and hours of fun. Once you play the game and win, you will find yourself going back to the beginning to start all over. Frogger was one of the favorites and most played games when it first came out, and this newer version will have the same popularity. Fun for 6 to 106.

Installation: Easy - Installation is very easy and only requires installing one CD. The CD must be in the drive while playing. The game does require DirectX 7.0 to run but if you do not have it, the start-up will give you the option to have it installed.

Gameplay: 9.0 - The gameplay for this game is involving and fast moving. You are able to move at the level you are comfortable with and each level has plenty of play. You must start with the story mode, which gives you plenty of practice before you can begin the arcade mode, which really gets challenging.

Graphics: 9.0 - Graphics are unbelievable. From Frogger himself (who is the brightest and boldest green you will ever see) to the lawnmowers (which look realistic) to the beautifully done butterflies -- each character and object in the game is powerful and enhances the game even more.

Sound: 9.0 - The music of the well-loved arcade game is very visible, and you actually get the feel of having an arcade in your home. Very clear and goes great with each level.

Difficulty: 9.0 - The difficulty is a perfect combination of fun and challenge. Practice in the story mode gives you a good feel for what you will need when you go to the arcade level.

Concept: 9.0 - The concept is much like the original with a lot of great new features. It is a rescue mission and involves a great deal of strategy. Knowing when to hop, increase your height or float makes this a game in which you have to plan carefully. Fun all the way through though.

Multiplayer - Multiplayer is an option with this game. I used both options and can say that when it is in multi-player mode, it is a lot more challenging and a lot of fun. With multi-player, the goals are the same but you get an extra bonus of not only finishing the game, but also doing it in record time against the other players.

Overall: 9.5