From the very first level, nearly every chapter contains excellent levels. There are plenty of enemies to avoid and secret areas to discover. Often, a little exploration is required if one hopes to get all 25 coins scattered about each level. Getting all the coins will unlock different characters for multiplayer or new levels for the original Frogger, which is included in the game. In addition to the coins, there are timers on each level. While going over the time limit will not hurt the player (it's nearly impossible to get all the coins and still beat the timer), it does add some competition to the game.

Instead of the mistakes of the first remake, Frogger 2 is full of trappings pulled straight from the original. Every level is pattern-based, and most of them contain at least one section that's reminiscent of the original's timed hop. Instead of avoiding cars and riding on turtles and logs, though, players will ride meteors, lily pads, bugs and even a spaceship. The variation in the design is fantastic -- it never really gets stale. Some of the levels will take a little thinking to get through (especially when going for the best time), but most of the puzzles are of a junior-high level at best. This isn't to say it's bad; rather, it's geared toward kids, even though adult platform fans will probably like it.

With the kids in mind, there's nary a hint of violence in this game. Frogger has no offensive attacks at all, so avoiding every obstacle and enemy is a necessity. There are no abilities beyond hopping, croaking, jumping and using Frogger's tongue to collect powerups, but it works out well. The levels are designed so that even these simple moves can provide something of a challenge. Powerups include extra lives, quick hopping and auto hopping -- the ability to simply hold the directional pad in a direction and have Frogger move in that direction repeatedly. It's sometimes necessary to do this to get past quickly moving obstacles, but the powerup is always there when needed.

It's not all a bed of roses (or lily pads) though. While the gameplay is fun and frantic in its pacing, it's over way too soon. We'd prefer the 30 to 40 hours of something like Spyro: Year of the Dragon in terms of game length, but Frogger 2 only offers about 5-10 without beating all the challenges. While something like PaRappa the Rapper can survive on brevity (we still know the words to every song in that game), this game doesn't quite have enough (frog) meat. Those who do go back and beat all the times and unlock every secret will get their money's worth, but those who enjoy straight gameplay will probably beat this game in just a few sittings. The multiplayer is also short lived. It's interesting, but it didn't hold our attention for long.

The negatives aside, Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge is a nearly perfect arcade frog simulator. The gameplay is dead-on, and the graphics and sound are all up to the Dreamcast's standards. Perhaps another sequel will add some length to the frog legs.