David Hayward recalls one of the few games he's actually quite good at
For many gamers of a certain age, the defining ZX Spectrum title was Manic Miner, but for others, me included, it was Chuckie Egg.
Chuckie Egg is a classic example of how something as simple as running and jumping around a many-platformed screen can highly addictive. Although remarkably limited in its delivery, Chuckie Egg proves that a game doesn't necessary need to have the latest, most dazzling 3D graphical effects or studio-
quality audio.
Indeed, this is a game that takes pride and place among the many classics in the 8-bit version of Valhalla. A veritable masterpiece that deserves more credit than it first received at the hands of the 1984 reviewers.
Conceived and programmed by Nigel Alderton, who went on to create such notable titles as Commando, Ghosts 'n Goblins and Kong Strikes Back, Chuckie Egg has you playing the role of Hen House Harry, who must collect the eggs and piles of bird seed before the time runs out (incidentally, the bird seed pauses the countdown for a short period).
Before him lies a problem, though. The hens (or ostriches, depending on your point of view) naturally don't want to give up the eggs, so they'll wander the many platforms of the hen house in an effort to protect their yolk-bound potential offspring. Contact with a hen results in loss of one of Harry's five lives, as does mistiming a jump from one platform to another, plunging you into an abyss. Also, if you take too long, then the giant Mother Duck housed in the cage in the top left of the screen will escape and chase after you.
Its History
Alderton was in his mid-teens at the time, around 1982/3, and working a Saturday job at A&F - fetching tea for the developers, duplicating tapes and so on.
Having already cut his programming teeth on a ZX81, the young Nigel asked the programmers at A&F if they wouldn't mind taking a look at the game he was working on. Rather bemused, according to Alderton, they gave an early revision of 'Eggy Kong' a once over and were hooked.
Chuckie Egg, as it was later named by A&F, was originally based on the old arcade game Space Panic, with elements of Donkey Kong thrown in along with numerous other inspirations. Alderton made the game to test the player's reaction skills, with a fast-paced level that needed keen reflexes and timing rather than the more thoughtful concepts that were around at that time.
With the Spectrum version nearing completion, fellow A&F developer Doug Anderson worked on the BBC Micro version - a version that differed slightly in a number of ways. The overall success of Chuckie Egg on both platforms meant that different versions could be readied for conversion.
After over one million sales, A&F looked to a sequel, but by then Alderton had moved on to work for Ocean, and Chuckie Egg 2 never really lived up to the standard of its predecessor.
The Good
Amazing gameplay, considering it's such a simple game. A test of the gamer's timing and reflexes. That noise when you run and jump.
The Bad
Timing those lifts correctly. Running out of time and having the hen in the cage come and get you.
Conclusion
One of my favourite Spectrum games of all time, Chuckie Egg is one that I still play to this day and is also one of the only remaining games that I can actually beat my 15-year old son and 13-year old daughter at.
Thank you, Nigel Alderton, wherever you are.
Did You Know?
• The game is never ending, looping the screen at level 40.
• The timer does decrease from level 48 onward.
• The main character, Hen House Harry, was nameless until, according to Alderton, "the bloke who wrote the blurb for the inlays" named him.
• A&F went bust in 1985, but reappeared as MC Lothlorien, then Icon Design and Tudor World, before disappearing completely in 1991.