A road and river crossing game for PC

Help a brave toad hop over a busy road and ride the logs and turtles home across the river: that's Hop Across, an original crossing game in Games by Zaweba. You land the toad in each of five lily-pad homes before the timer runs out. It is free, plays offline and is drawn in an 8-bit home computer style.

It sits on the Retro arcade shelf, alongside 25 other original arcade and platform games.

The road

First, hop across five lanes of traffic. Watch a lane for a moment before you hop into it, and look for gaps that line up across several lanes, so you can cross in a quick run.

Use the arrow keys or WASD to hop. You can also use the mouse: click above, below or beside the toad to hop that way.

The river

Then cross the river on logs and turtles. The water is deadly, so you must land on something. And some turtles dive, which means a turtle that's safe now might not be in a moment. Logs are steadier.

The logs and turtles carry you along as they move, so you'll drift sideways while you wait. Don't let them carry you off the edge of the screen.

Five homes and a fly

At the top are five lily-pad homes. Land the toad in each one before the timer runs out. Fill all five and the next level begins, faster.

Snap up a fly for a bonus. But steer clear of the snapper, which is dangerous. The fly is worth going for when it's on your route, but chasing it across the river is a good way to lose a toad.

Tips for a good run

Don't rush. The timer is generous enough for patient play, and most lost toads come from hopping into a lane without looking. Wait for the gap, then hop.

Pick your home before you start the river. Aim for a home that's roughly in line with where you're crossing, so you don't have to travel far along the river bank.

Later levels are faster, so the patient habits you build on the first level pay off when the traffic and the river speed up. Players who learn to wait for a clean gap rarely lose a toad on the road, and those who watch the turtles before stepping on rarely lose one in the river. It's a game where a calm head beats quick fingers.

Playing Hop Across

Find Hop Across on the Retro arcade shelf of Games by Zaweba, or press Ctrl+F and type hop. The title card explains how to play, F1 explains it again, Esc pauses and F11 makes it full screen. The game pauses itself if you switch windows.

Your best score and plays are kept on the game's tile, in a scores file on your own PC. There are no adverts and no accounts. Every car, log and turtle is drawn in code, and so is every sound. It's a good game for children and adults alike, since the idea is clear at once and the later levels get properly tricky.