Leaping Freddy

Leaping Freddy may look like a cross between Mario Bros. and Lode Runner, but it lacks the tight, addictive gameplay that made those games classics. As Freddy, you roam the castle of an evil wizard, dodging deadly obstacles and collecting diamonds, magic items, and various kinds of junk food. Freddy jumps fairly well, considering his paunch, but he's awfully slow. Just crossing half the screen seems to take an eternity. Luckily, the castle's unfriendly inhabitants aren't much quicker. You'll find an option for adjusting the game speed, but even at its fastest setting it didn't seem to have much effect. The bouncy music is cute, and the graphics are no disgrace, but they're not enough to make up for the sluggish action. Young children might enjoy Leaping Freddy for a while, but serious gamers will want to take a pass.