Frantic Freddie is a 1983
platform game for the
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
written by Kris Hatlelid and Gregor Larson and published by
Commercial Data Systems.
Gameplay
The player uses a joystick to control the eponymous Frantic Freddie, a
telephone line engineer. Each level takes place on a single screen, each with five full-width platforms connected by
telegraph poles. Freddie runs along the platforms; he cannot pass through the telegraph poles but may climb up and down either side of them. The goal of the game is to collect the pots of gold resting on the platforms, as well as optional bonus items which scroll through the playing area. Each level is patrolled by three to five monstrous "Greeblies" that Freddie must avoid, lest he lose a life.
The game has a total of sixteen playable levels punctuated by animated intermission sequences.
The 17th level has a game breaking bug, as this level mistakenly has all poles removed. This means that Freddie can't reach the platforms above him, making this level impossible to clear.
The Greeblies, at the top of the screen, have now taken the form of Freddie, and since they can't reach Freddie, because of the missing poles, this is the end of the game. The player is forced to reset/turn off the system.
Soundtrack
The game's synthesized soundtrack mingles arrangements of popular and ragtime songs:
* "
Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (
Queen)
* "
Boogie Fever" (
The Sylvers)
* "
The Easy Winners" (
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...
)
* "
Don't Bring Me Down
"Don't Bring Me Down" is the ninth and final track on the English rock band the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 album '' Discovery''. It is their highest-charting hit in the United States to date.
History
"Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's ...
" (
Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...
)
* "
Kodachrome" (
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
)
* "
A Fifth of Beethoven" (
Walter Murphy)
* "Pine Apple Rag" (Scott Joplin)
* "
Elite Syncopations" (Scott Joplin)
* "
Maple Leaf Rag
The "Maple Leaf Rag" (copyright registered on September 18, 1899) is an early ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, and became the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent compos ...
" (Scott Joplin)
* "The Sycamore" (Scott Joplin)
Reception
The game was positively received by ''
Your Commodore'' who said it was "A stunning graphics and music game worth playing." It was given a 4 out of 5 star rating.
Reviewing a budget release of the game in 1988, Pete Connor of ''
ACE'' described ''Frantic Freddie'' as "a pretty tired game" that promised only "a modicum of fun".
Legacy
An unlicensed
fangame sequel for the Commodore 64, ''Frantic Freddie II'', was released in 2019.
References
Commodore 64 games
Commodore 64-only games
Platform games
1983 video games
Video games developed in Canada
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