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Chuckie Egg was made in the school summer holidays when developer Nigel Alderton was about sixteen or seventeen years old and originally released for ZX Spectrum in 1983. In the game you play Hen House Harry who has to collect 12 (a dozen) eggs from each level, while avoiding the ducklings. The levels each occupy a single screen, and are made up of platforms, ladders and lifts (or elevators), and are thus similar to those in classic platform game Donkey Kong. Corn can also be collected, which stops the time limit from ticking down and also stops the bonus, collected when the level is completed, from decreasing. The ducklings also eat the corn, however. There are only 8 distinct levels. The ninth level is a copy of level 1, the tenth is a copy of level 2, and so on. However, on the second time around the ducklings that can use the platforms and ladders are replaced by the Mother Duck, who can fly around the level going through the platforms and ladders. On the third time around, you have to face both the Mother Duck and the ducklings, and similarly on subsequent goes round, when there are more ducklings. This game is often credited alongside Miner 2049er and Lode Runner with helping develop and popularize the platform game, and has gone on to be a cult classic with a number of unofficial retro remakes appearing online. In 2021, a fan-made remake by Langford Productions was released with updated graphics, a Spectrum graphics mode and a special "Chuckie in the dark" mode and two brand new screen layouts. |
