Computer Gamer
1st December 1986
Categories: Review: Software
Publisher: Mikro-Gen
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K
Published in Computer Gamer #21
Frost Byte
Kreezers all over the planet Cosmia are losing their lifetime struggle for freedom at the hands of the ghoulish monsters who inhabit the craters of the planet. But the spirit of rebellion is not yet dead and one Kreezer has managed to slip its captors. Now, all it has to do is rescue five other fellow beings before they are eaten and make good an escape.
A Kreezer is a strange sort of fellow to describe. If you remember those slinky springs that used to walk down stairs, the the locomotion is very similar to that. If you don't remember them, imagine a short rod that bends in the middle and flips over from end to end as it moves along. Now add the ability to jump and you have a reasonable description of the beasty.
There are several items along the escape route that are beneficial to you but the most immediate is the ammo that is conveniently lying just outside your cage. Picking this up and using it allows you to fire at the assorted creature who would otherwise kill you on contact. Control of your Kreezer (whose name is Hickey) is decidedly tricky as you frequently have to roll in mid-bounce and I found things a lot easier if I used the keyboard when trying to somersault over falling acid drips.
Even if you complete this manoeuvre, your problems are far from over as some of the creatures that you previously shot have a nasty habit of regenerating under you as you struggle to time a leap properly and that is another of your five lives gone. Although the game is relatively slow-paced, time is important and you only have so long before one of your buddies becomes ghoul fodder.
Some places are just too high to jump or too far to fall, so there are some strategically-placed springs and mattresses to aid and abet you. There are also some multi-coloured sweets to be collected and these will move you faster, bounce you higher or let you fall further, depending on hue. Their effect lasts until you pick up or use another object.
Frost Byte is an unusual arcade adventure. It is not easy and there will be some who give up in disgust which is a pity because it is only a matter of good timing rather than manual dexterity which is required. Once you get the hang of it, there is the great temptation to find out what is on the next screen, even though you are fairly sure that it will be certain death. Each time you play, you come a little closer to saving the entire Kreezer race.