Chuckie Egg
-
Chuckie Egg 2017
(2017) -
Super Chuckie Egg
(2018)
-
Chuckie Egg: The Next Batch
(2001)
- 10 Computer Hits (1985)
-
10 Computer Hits
(1985) -
10 Computer Hits
(1985) -
10 Computer Hits
(1985) - 10 Computer Hits (1985)
- MSX Compilation 3 (1986)
Description official descriptions
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.
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (ZX Spectrum version)
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 76% (based on 14 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 39 ratings with 1 reviews)
The Good
Chuckie Egg was one of those games everyone had, everyone liked and nobody had a bad word to say about, but nobody got excited about.It stood out at the time as a whimsical game, at a time when most machine's catalogues consisted of text adventures, pac man clones and space battle shoot 'em ups that bore an uncanny resemblance to well known arcade classics. The Dragon version of Chuckie Egg is pretty much as you would expect- with a green background and the usual red-blue-yellow color suite. The game play is among the best of the various versions, a strong feature of a game that varies in difficulty between ludicrously hard and mind numbingly easy depending on which platform you are on. In this case the pitch is about right, and if you like the game it is worth checking out the Dragon version.
The Bad
Considering that they later produced a remarkably complex second game, Screaming Abdabs, which was a sort of souped up 35 screen Jet Set Willy clone, Chuckie Egg does not really push the boundaries in terms of levels of inventiveness or depth. Its sound does not really match that of games just a year or two later, although for its time it was about par for the era. Mind you that era was full of early games shunted over from the 16 k TRS-80 CoCo, most of which were underwhelming in the sound department to say the least. The machine could do so much more.
The Bottom Line
Basically what you expect- a great whimsical game of its time on the machine, but without the depth of later releases.
Dragon 32/64 · by drmarkb (105) · 2020
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Chuckie Egg appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Back cover
The Pick & Choose release of Chuckie Egg has the same wording on the back of the cassette as their release of Chuckie Egg II. This includes the line "this eggscellent game is guaranteed to be salmonella-free" in reference to a contamination scandal involving UK eggs in 1988, for which the country's Junior Health Minister Edwina Currie was ultimately forced to resign.
Cancelled sequel
Before leaving A'n'F to join Ocean, Nigel Alderton was working on a sequel, Chuckie Apple. This was never coded, however the design was completed, and has been made available on the Bagshot Row fansite (see Links & Searches). An informal competition to get someone to code the game has also been launched - perhaps one day Chuckie Apple will take its place in MobyGames as a completed work.
Development
Chuckie Egg was made in the school summer holidays when developer Nigel Alderton was about sixteen or seventeen years old. After two months of development, he took a one-level pre-release version to A&F Software, who released it in 1983.
Awards
- Retro Gamer
- October 2004 (Issue #9) – #28 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)
- Issue #37 - #8 in the "Top 25 Platformers of All Time" poll
Information also contributed by PCGamer77, piltdown man, Sciere and FatherJack
Analytics
Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings and price history! (when applicable)
Related Games
Released 1985 on Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST...
Released 2018 on Android, iPad, iPhone
Released 2017 on iPad, iPhone, Android...
Released 1996 on Windows, 2002 on Windows Mobile, 2005 on Macintosh
Released 1991 on TurboGrafx-16, 2017 on Wii U
Released 1989 on Atari ST, 1990 on Amiga, 1994 on DOS...
Released 2016 on ZX Spectrum
Released 2001 on Windows
Released 2022 on Windows, Nintendo Switch
Related Sites +
-
The Chuckie Egg Professional's Resource Kit
A hugely informative archive detailing all known releases, the history of Chuckie Egg, polls, forums, gameplay tips, adverts, reviews, pokes, hacks & upgrades, retro remakes, interviews with CE coders and more ... -
The Chuckie Egg Site
Info and downloads for the original versions as well as Mike Elson's faithful Windows port of the BBC version -
Wikipedia
Wikipedia entry. -
World of Spectrum
Archive files / Download and play links / Additional material / Remakes / Player reviews / Magazine references / Magazine adverts
Identifiers +
Contribute
Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.
Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Silverfish.
DOS added by Dalroi. J2ME, BBC Micro added by Sciere. Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, Electron, Tatung Einstein, Android, Dragon 32/64 added by Kabushi. Atari ST, Amiga, ZX Spectrum added by Martin Smith. MSX added by koffiepad.
Additional contributors: Martin Smith, Jack Lightbeard, samwise, formercontrib, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, ZeTomes.
Game added January 23, 2005. Last modified June 12, 2024.