Hop springs eternal

One of video gaming's oldest faces returns in Frogger Beyond

Frogger - Konami of Europe's veteran gaming hero - hops on to PlayStation 2 and GameCube in May, as the publisher unveils Frogger Beyond - the amphibian 's biggest and boldest adventure to date.

Fresh from his last PlayStation 2 outing, Frogger Beyond marks the first time the reptilian hero has made it to GameCube. Eager to become a respected member of the community, Frogger has been charged with undertaking a series of ever more hazardous missions on behalf of his swamp's Elder Council. As he strives to prove his worth to the community, Frogger must explore a series of danger-filled environments as each of the eight Elders sends him on a mission to a themed game world.

Each of the eight locations throws up individual problems and scenarios, with Frogger working his way through expansive scrolling levels based on underwater, high tech, mountainous, futuristic, subterranean, and magical content. All the action is viewed from directly above the amphibian hero, while the platform-based nature of the levels call upon his varying jumping styles, while his sticky tongue proves adept at countering attacks from assailants.

During the course of the game, Frogger Beyond also challenges the player to bolster Frogger's abilities via strategically placed power-ups. Three enhanced skills can be collected, vastly accelerating his pace, letting Frogger eat any adversaries in his path, or granting him temporary invisibility. Additional power-ups and extra lives can also be bought in

between stages by collecting the gold coins that are dotted throughout the game.

Frogger Beyond represents yet another welcome return for Konami's hero. As its levels unfold, it continually tests the player as more and more elements are added to the gameplay. Switches must be tripped to access key levels, while moving and electrically charged platforms also liven things up! It also benefits from a secondary 'Time Attack' mode, which invites players to race through previously accessed stages in highly competitive competitions against a friend.