Has there been a genre, film, cartoon or story that hasn’t been given its own pinball machine?  From the classic Addams Family machine to ones based on poker, if it could be hidden under glass and a ball rolled around, then it became a pinball machine.  Virtual pinball on the iPhone and iPad is a popular genre too, and the latest franchise to be converted is Frogger, which is no less unlikely than anything else!

The connection between classic Frogger and Frogger Pinball isn’t all that obvious aside from the frog itself – there’s no real reference to log jumping or traffic avoidance for example – but there is a basic story in which Lily the frog has been kidnapped by RoboCroc, and it’s your job to save her.  How?  By becoming a pinball and bouncing around three different tables, that’s how!

Like most modern pinball games you’ve got a series of tasks to complete in order to advance to the next table, however instead of having to simply guide the ball in a certain direction, here you’ve got to destroy waves of enemies by hitting them with the ball before facing an end-of-level boss.  The three tables are themed around a swamp, a city and space, and there’s a single overhead view for each.

In addition to the Story mode the game has a Challenge mode too, where you’ve got one ball to rack up as higher score as possible.  Power-ups and more balls can be purchased by collecting emeralds and energy in the main game, however after a few games it becomes obvious there’s no way normal players will ever collect enough of either to buy any meaningful power-ups, pushing you towards the in-app purchases instead.

In-app purchases can be applied fairly in games, but in Frogger Pinball you’ve got little other choice but to buy some if you want to have any fun in Challenge mode, as it’s over too quickly without the power-ups.  Having already spent $1.99/£1.49 on the game, many players will feel a little cheated by this.

Story mode doesn’t give the option of using paid power-ups, so players are free to explore the tables and discover them there.  The physics are good and as the ball moves quite slowly, Frogger Pinball could be enjoyed by players of all ages.  The app is universal and certainly benefits from being played on the iPad’s larger screen, plus the left/right screen tap doesn’t have to be in a specific place, making it easier for little fingers.

The graphics are clear and bright, with Retina Display support on the iPhone 4/4S, and the audio is suitably bouncy and fun; once more emphasizing to which market Frogger Pinball is aimed.

On its own, Story mode’s three tables feels a little thin for the price, and unless you’re happy to pay the in-app purchasing prices for virtual currency, Challenge mode isn’t worth playing for long.  Other modes are promised in the future by the iTunes blurb, so hopefully Konami will add more tables at the same time, as Frogger Pinball’s a good little game that needs fleshing out to become great.

Positives:

• Fun gameplay, excellent physics and sensible difficulty.
• Universal for the iPhone and iPad.
• Graphically impressive tables.

Negatives:

• Slightly suspect use of in-app purchasing.
• Only three tables.

Overall: 3.5/5.