CHUCKIE EGG: PC (CGA/EGA/TGA)
Chuckie Egg PC (CGA/EGA/TGA) Screenshot 1 Chuckie Egg PC (CGA/EGA/TGA) Screenshot 2 Chuckie Egg PC (CGA/EGA/TGA) Screenshot 3 Chuckie Egg PC (CGA/EGA/TGA) Screenshot 4 Chuckie Egg PC (CGA/EGA/TGA) Screenshot 5

Release Factoids

Format: PC (CGA/EGA/TGA)
Author: Ste Cork (with artwork from Martin Holland)
Year of Release: 1989
Publishing Label: Pick & Choose
Default Keys: Up Q   Down A   Left O   Right P   Jump SPACE
Joystick Supported: AMSTRAD or IBM
Cheats or POKEs: None known
Emulator: MESS - Tandy 1000HX (TGA mode) and IBM PC 08/16/82 (CGA mode) drivers
BIOS images required:
Tandy 1000HX driver: ibmpc.zip [CRC32 #DE95612B] & t1000hx.zip [CRC32 #43A51200]
IBM PC 08/16/82 driver: ibmpc.zip [CRC32 #DE95612B] & ibmpca.zip [CRC32 #C422D9B5]
Emulator Platform-Specific Usage Instructions:
Install MESS and The Chuckie Egg Professional's Resource Kit.
TGA version:
Load the Chuckie Egg (1989)(Pick & Choose) floppy disk image from the Resource Kit into the MESS Tandy 1000HX driver, ignoring the 50146 error - ROM NEEDS REDUMP. The image will automatically boot FreeDOS and start up Chuckie Egg. On a modern PC, the driver is likely to run much faster than it should so it may be necessary to toggle Throttle on, from the Options pull-down menu. The initial loading period can also be slow, so this could also be done after the title screen is displayed. If the driver appears to stall in full-screen mode, left-clicking the mouse to give focus and hitting Scroll-Lock a couple of times to reveal/hide the menu bar might be beneficial. Ensure you select the TANDY 16 colors mode, when the menu appears.
CGA version:
Load the Chuckie Egg (1989)(Pick & Choose) floppy disk image from the Resource Kit into the MESS IBM PC 08/16/82 driver. Hit F1 to resume, when an error appears after the PC's base memory check. The image will automatically boot FreeDOS and start up Chuckie Egg. On a modern PC, the driver is likely to run much faster than it should so it may be necessary to toggle Throttle on, from the Options pull-down menu. Ensure you select the CGA 4 colors mode, when the menu appears.
Notes: At the title screen, press END to save the high scores table.
(If running under MESS emulation, the high score information will not be permanently written back to the software disk image.)
Review: As should be expected for its age, the graphics for this port do suffer a little from the traditional anything-sub-VGA-must-have-clashing-colours syndrome, particularly in the lesser CGA version. The sprites are designed very nicely, taking advantage of the later hardware and the backgrounds are also very detailed. Sound effects are typically minimal but adequate, with the addition of music which can seem harsh and grating but, again, is common for a game written during this particular period of PC history. The keyboard redefine option is noticably missing but, instead, joystick support is offered, which is less common amongst Chuckie Egg releases.
This port does not attempt to identically mirror any of the original releases. First impressions, therefore, reveal hens that appear quicker and more intelligent which feels much more challenging than usual. From Level 03 onwards, the lifts also prove more tricky to land on. Unfortunately, when Hen House Harry jumps, he can interact with sprites on the platforms above, making it possible to steal eggs and corn by jumping from below and, more annoyingly, allowing him to kill himself by headbutting the hens above!