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Here's a fast and furiously paced eight level shoot 'em up which will either cause deep depression in those with slower reflexes, or be an exhilarating romp for the vast majority whose reaction times are faster than Speedy Gonzales, the little mouse.
Frenetic has extremely good looking graphics, comprised of vivid colours and elaborate designs. The game involves a journey through the eerie domains of electric blue space stations that could be straight out of the climatic tunnel sequence in Star Wars. The intricate, involved backdrops have a Salvador Dali influence with craggy rocks and weird space phenomena adding a psychedelic experience to the game.
If only the other qualities of Frenetic could maintain such a high calibre. Alas, the actual gameplay leaves much to be desired. Your tiny space craft does its best, but lacks speed and power. True, it is theoretically possible to pick up seven weapons, but they're very elementary, consisting mainly of side shots and extra ammunition. Bearing in mind that Frenetic is an extremely tough and difficult game, a comprehensive range of weapons is absolutely vital. One only has to look at the add-ons in Xenon II to see the woeful lack of hardware in Frenetic. The sounds and music are pretty groovy, a must for the head banging fraternity; tough luck for those who prefer classical music or Big Fun!

The end-of-level guardians are fairly entertaining. Gigantic moons need to be destroyed and those 'oh so-familiar' crustacea (shades of R-Type methinks) need a fair old crack of the whip to be demolished. A high speed chase commences at the end of each level. The music tempo increases, accompanied by a quick-moving background. As a high tech fantasy shoot 'em up, Frenetic doesn't measure up. However, what it does offer are superb graphics with a very sophisticated presentation. This doesn't make up for the tedious gameplay, though, which calls for the patience of a saint. Definitely a game to buy on an uneventful day. After the success of such games as Corporation, Chuck Rock and Car-Vup, Core Design will, unfortunately, have to bite the bullet on this one.
Fiona Keating