Original Manufacturer: Stern Electronics, Inc. (out of business)
Arcade Release Date: 1982
Related Arcade Games: Berzerk
Manufacturer: Coleco
Game Serial Number: 2613
Home Release Date: 1984
Guide No.: ??
Rarity (Based on CV FAQ): Uncommon
Size: 24k
According to one Stern programmer at Stern Electronics, Frenzy was created since Stern had leftover inventory of Berzerk, their most popular game. Some of Frenzy's arcade machines were converted Berzerk machines.
Frenzy is basically Berzerk with a twist. This time we can actually play different types of boards including "boss" boards.
During the early 1980s, Atari, Mattel, Coleco, and many other companies fought hard to get the licenses to the hottest arcade games. Atari won the rights to Berzerk, but Coleco won the rights to its sequel, Frenzy. Berzerk only came out for Atari systems, and Frenzy only appeared on the ColecoVision system. (A similar thing happened when Coleco won the rights to Mr. Do!, and Parker Bros. won Mr. Do!'s Castle.)
(Some vital statistics provided by the ColecoVision FAQ by Joe Huber.)
Once a board is cleared or near completion, Evil Otto will come after you and force you into the next board. Although you can kill him with three shots (four if you are playing Skill Four), another one will take his place and will move quicker.
The game has four featured mazes ("boss" boards) and many unfeatured mazes. Depending on your level, you will need to pass through the that number of unfeatured mazes before you reach another featured maze (i.e., Skill One requires you to pass through one unfeatured maze, Skill Two, two unfeatured mazes, etc.). The featured mazes are: Big Otto, Power Plant, Computer Factory, and Robot Factory.
Big Otto features a huge smiley face in the center. But don't let that smile fool you--he gets his kicks from your destruction. Watch out for the skeletons and robots. Like any board, Evil Otto (the regular sized one) will come after you if you dawdle too long. Unlike any other board, you do not want to kill him as you can with other boards. If you kill him on the Evil Otto board, a mob of Evil Ottos will fly out from the side and destroy you.
The other boss boards each have their own special abilities as well. If you hit the Power Plant, you will cut off the electricity and force all your enemies into stasis. Be warned--they can still shoot you! The Computer Factory makes more robots as you progress in the board. If you fire a laser at the Factory, you will automatically kill all your enemies. The Robot Factory also makes more robots, and when hit, it will force all your enemies into stasis.
All the boards feature several types of walls. The yellow wall with two circles is the locked door from the room you just came from. All other solid walls bounce (or reflect) your shots back at you; you can use these to angle shots. The dotted walls are breakable; three shots are needed to move up or down, and four shots are needed to move sideways.
ACTION POINTS Any Dot Eliminated ...................... 1 Robot Eliminated ........................ 50 Skeleton Eliminated ..................... 50 Bullet Contacts Evil Otto .............. 20* Power Plant Disabled ................... 100 Computer Disabled....................... 100 Robot Factory Disabled ................. 100 * except for first bullet in a Skill 4 game Bonus Commandos: First 1UP at 1000, and more at every 2000 more thereafter (1000, 3000, 5000, etc.).
You have pressed the self-destruct button. In later boards, robots and skeletons constantly fire at you, even when they are firing at a bounce wall. You can make them kill themselves by having them run into their own fire. When they fire at you, move over towards the laser; when the laser reflects off the wall, the enemy may run right into it!
Know when to fold 'em. There are some boards that are really tough. Pick your fights carefully, and get out quickly if the board turns out to be harder than you expected.
A real knee jerker! At the start of some boards, you will begin at the bottom left side. If an exit appears next to you, you can run out quickly and leave the board. While leaving the board, you will suddenly turn the other way and throw your hands in a big wave formation over your knee. Typically, you will keep facing the direction you exited until you arrive on the next board.
Dots all folks! If all the exits are blocked, see if you make your own by shooting the dots near the edge of the screen.