First of all, let me say
that this game feels like such a rip-off of the 3D Frogger titles that it’s
almost sad.  There’s everything from grid based movement, to going around
collecting six certain items to complete the stage, to lots of trial-and-error
gameplay.  Let’s look a little deeper, shall we?

The only apparent story in
Zapper is what can be gathered from the opening scene.  We find Zapper the
cricket and his little brother Zipper sitting down, enjoying some television. 
One thing leads to another (well, actually, nothing much happens) and a large
bird flies in the window of their little house and kidnaps Zipper.  Zapper,
being the kind little cricket he is, feels obligated to die over and over in
order to save Zipper’s life.

That’s right, dying over
and over.  Heck, you get twenty lives to start off with to get you through each
stage.  You’ll constantly find yourself getting killed or falling off ledges. 
This is thanks in part to the silly way that Zapper is controlled.  Imagine a
top down view, and there’s a large grid laid out over the land.  Zapper can move
one square at a time, meaning you have to keep tapping to get him to move.  I
recommend using the digital pad over the left thumbstick, if not to conjure up a
little nostalgia but also to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.  Tap, tap, tap.  To
make matters worse, Zapper can’t rotate via use of the thumbstick or digital
pad.  You have to use the left and right triggers to turn Zapper ninety degrees
at a time in order to set him up for jumps in narrow spaces.  Things can be
become confusing at this point.  In addition to this, pressing the A button will
allow Zapper to perform a sort of super jump – one that takes him twice as far
as tapping forward does.  But since Zapper’s moving animation are little hops,
and the A button performs a sort of hop as well, you’ll find yourself dying
accidentally by confusion.

Zapper also has the power
to zap things.  How a cricket can control electricity, I don’t know, but you can
use this ability to stop some enemies and blast open crates nonetheless.  You’ll
also run across spots where more electricity is collected, allowing Zapper to
perform a more powerful zap that can blast open tougher crates and destroy
tougher enemies.

The level design is very
straightforward.  In each level there are six eggs hidden.  Once you find them
all, the stage is complete and you can continue on to the next.  Also scattered
about are quite a few fireflies.  Collecting them all …well, doesn’t do much,
but I guess you have bragging rights if you get them all.  The stages are
sometimes made up of puzzles or obstacles that require perfect timing and
reflexes to get by.  The puzzles tend to be pretty simple.  In one area, we
might need to collect some golden fireflies in a certain order (the one you need
to get is lit up).  Once we do this, we’re awarded a little friend who follows
us until we reach a certain switch that he’ll turn on for us, then leave.

Some other areas have us
timing jumps perfectly in order to land on moving platforms, dodge enemies, or
both.  Later on in the game, this can become almost ridiculously hard.  The
simple gameplay might appeal to younger gamers, but the game becomes a bit
difficult later on, turning off people that might get into it.

We also have a mediocre
multiplayer mode to try out.  There are a few game modes, such as ones where you
avoid a certain character, or fight to the death using your zapping ability. 
They’re rather simplistic and lack depth, so you probably won’t be coming back
to them after spending a little while trying them out.

The graphics in the game
aren’t bad, but they won’t blow you away.  Textures and character models look
fine, but it’s hard to appreciate them if the camera is stuck directly above
your head the whole time. Animation is fine, too.  My biggest problem is that
the characters lack artistic style; they’re pretty much all generic things.  The
characters do have a cartoony look though, one that will probably attract the
younger audience.

Sound is nothing special. 
Aside from the opening video, we aren’t treated to any other voiceovers.  The
sound effects are fine, but aren’t anything special.  The music won’t have you
humming along, but it is bearable.  Perhaps a custom soundtrack option would
have been a nice feature.

Zapper, overall, isn’t that
great of a game.  The straightforward, simplistic gameplay might be good for
younger kids, but I don’t know if many will stick it through to the end.  It
could be a decent rent, but when Frogger titles can be found in the bargain bin,
and are just as good as this, that could be a totally better option.

Gameplay: 4.5

I think the developers
forgot to add “fun” to their checklist of things to add to this game.  It’s
really not much fun, and doesn’t do much of anything better than some similar
titles.

Graphics: 7.0

They work, but they aren’t
incredible.  Special effects are totally missing, but animation is okay, and
they managed to inject a nice bit of color into the game.  It won’t kill your
eyes but you’ll be longing for a little more.

Sound: 7.0

Zapper sports decent
sound.  It’s certainly nothing memorable, but at least there aren’t any annoying
voiceovers to deal with. 

Difficulty: Medium

Kids could easily be
attracted to the game’s cartoony look, but after getting far enough into the
game, might give up.  The later levels can be very frustrating at times.

Concept: 3.0

Can you say Frogger
rip-off?  Seriously, this game feels like Frogger, just not as fun as either of
his 3D titles or the original.

Multiplayer: 6.0

The multiplayer modes feel
like an afterthought, but it could possibly keep you entertained for a few
minutes.

Overall: 5.4

If you’re thinking of
picking this up, I advise renting first.  Frogger and Frogger 2: Swampy’s
Revenge are fine games that were ripped off by this title, and those two can be
found in the bargain bin for pretty cheap.  If you really liked those games
though, this might not be a horrible idea.