
Retro Remakes & Unofficial Ports
DOS
Jozsef 'Joco' Laszlo'sChuckie Eggs the remake for PC -- 2007 (
direct link)
This is a free, open source remake of Chuckie Egg written in assembler and Borland Pascal 7.0, complete with level editor.
The author references the Hungarian/English commented code as illustrations of VGA programming, especially the MODEX video
modes (double-buffered page flipping). The game runs on PCs as old as a 486 through to Window XP, though page flipping
might not be perfect or too fast in the latter, so the use of DOSBox is recommended.
The game itself is loosely based on the the SPECTRUM 48K release with the same keys, though the graphics are more colourful
and the screen layout is significantly different - with the status bar moved to the bottom of the screen. The first three
levels are reasonably close to the usual layouts, but the rest of the sixteen screens are more original including ropes to
compliment the ladders. Harry's jumping is much less responsive than one would hope and, unforgiveably, the mother duck is
missing!
Windows
John Blythe'sChuckie Egg '99 version alpha 0.30 -- 1999
(site unavailable - download archived at
Drobe Launchpad's www.stairwaytohell.com 2002 archive)
Further Adventures of Farmer Giles! Story so far... Farmer Giles had his prize winning hens stolen by his rival, Farmer Hopkirk.
Giles sets out to retrieve as many of his eggs as possible and teach Hopkirk a lesson he'll never forget! This is a great remake
with colourful graphics and nice gameplay. A worthy prequel to John's later Chuckie Egg remake.
Mike Elson'sChuckie Egg for Windows (nee
DirectX Chuckie Egg) -- 2000
(original sites unavailable -
Chuckie Egg for Windows and
DirectX Chuckie Egg are both archived by The Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
UPDATE: The Chuckie Egg for Windows website is currently offline. Whilst we eagerly await it's return, we have
mirrored the complete Windows installer and source code
from the latest version, 1.1. Executable and source for 1.04 also available.
Based on the BBC 32K release, this is the oldest and most featureful remake. The physics of Hen House Harry's movements are
almost, but not quite, identical to the original release. This unofficial port includes the Variable Extended Jump option from
the popular upgrade of the BBC 32K original,
CHUKEE from BIT TWIDDLERS, and also features
user-definable graphics. The source code and a Level Eggitor are available for download, the latter allowing users to design
their own customised levels - other example levels available include the set of eight custom levels that were originally supplied
with CHUKEE. If you do not already have it installed, the Level Eggitor will require the Microsoft
Visual Basic 4.0 32-bit run-time engine.
Hitm4n of
Retro Remakes
is one of those who has made use of the Level Eggitor, in order to create
Hitman Egg,
a set of six new levels bundled with custom graphics. Kevin Adams has also customised the graphics to produce
Cash Dash.
Mike Elson reveals that the essential tool for creating this Borland C++ 4.52 remake was the now-defunct commercial BBC micro
emulator
pcBBC, which was used to generate screenshots from the original game to get
the look right. "To work out the jump patterns I ran the emulator in 'slow motion' mode and took a screenshot after each
re-draw... many of the moves that were possible in the original are recreated faithfully, but there were always things like
bouncing off platforms, which I never got right. I got the samples by playing Chuckie on a real BBC with wires running from its
internal speaker to the sound card of a PC, and recording sections of gameplay to edit down into raw sounds."
Geoff and June Moore'sGJ Chucky Egg -- 2000
This remake contains 36 levels with password access, and is available as a downloadable shareware demo. It has all the expected
Chuckie Egg objects with a few additions like extra lives, killer plants, fire and spikes. The website includes the option to play
online (requires Clickteam's
Vitalize! Active X plugin).
Matthew Green'sEggBasket -- 2001
Simple game with 6 levels loosely based on Chuckie Egg.
John Blythe'sChuckie Egg: The Next Batch -- 2003
(
old site now unavailable - archived at
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
This remake updates Chuckie Egg to take more advantage of the capabilities of modern machines. Not an exact clone,
being supplied with all-new graphics, levels and features, this is a popular Blitz Basic interpretation of the
classic original. There is also a promise of themed add-on packs with more new graphics and levels being available
in the near future.
Christopher Duffen'sChuckie Egg The New Batch -- 2004
This DirectX 8.1 remake was created with the
Destroyer 2 framework by a student of
Stuart Slater, lecturer at the School of Computing and IT, a part of the University of Wolverhampton.
Edo Broekman'sEggStatic -- 2005 (commercial release, free demo available with 8 levels & 8 training levels)
A great, new OpenGL / DirectX 8 release that requires a 32MB 3D videocard. This modern remake builds on the BBC 32K
release and was designed to add many new features without taking anything away from the original gameplay. Amongst the
new features, there are bonus levels, a new two player co-operative mode (full version only), up to 75 minutes of a
techno soundtrack, a demo record facility, a save function between rounds and new level features including magic eggs,
slippery ice floors and trampolines for Harry to cope with. Longevity has been addressed, in order to make the full
release worthy of the asking price, with the inclusion of an in-game level editor and a "moddable" engine so
that custom campaigns, levels and graphics can be added.
This remake is certainly not an identical clone to the original but the bright, colourful high resolution graphics have
been drawn in a large pixel, blocky-style to retain the authentic look of the original, whilst making it appealing to
the modern player's eye. Small touches like Harry's materialisation when he begins a level, the dust he kicks up as
he runs, the display of the points value as eggs & seed are collected and how his feet stop moving mid-jump if the
direction key is released, all make nice eye-candy without interfering with the gameplay too much - though it is a bit
disconcerting to see Harry climb behind the ladders, instead of in front. The sound effects are quite different from
the original, with Harry padding along the levels rather more quietly than the original and the Cassowaries (previously
known as hens) making an incongruous squawking sound if Harry touches them. Thankfully, the sound options allow the
volume to be adjusted and the removal of the techno soundtrack which can grate after a while, if you're not a fan of the
genre. There are 125 levels in the full version (with the promise of 50-60 more coming soon, in a campaign to be provided
with the next version upgrade), though none are direct copies of the level layouts in the original. Possibly the biggest
change for players used to the original releases will be the new control system which combines the Up and Jump keys.
Whilst this may well make things easier for new players, it is quite disconcerting for the CE Professional. The final
thing worthy of note is that this is the first remake to include the features that, according to his
80snostalgia.com interview,
Nigel Alderton had hoped to include in the original Spectrum release but was forced to drop, citing time pressures,
including missing ladders and platforms to disrupt a player's patterns later in the game and the
popularly mis-remembered
second hawk (a duck in the original), that has a different speed and acceleration to the first.
Rob Edwards'Chuckie Egg Remake -- 2006 (
WIP thread)
This is a great version of Chuckie Egg for Easter '06. Based on the SPECTRUM 48K release, this remake comes with pixel
perfect in-game graphics, faithful to the original. All of the graphics, sounds and level designs are fully customisable -
the package ships with a gorgeous set of re-worked graphics and six new level designs, alongside the originals. New features
over and above the Spectrum version include a built-in level editor which isn't fixed to a dozen eggs & five hens and also
support for lifts which travel down, as well as up. This last, unique, feature allows cunning level designs which add a
whole new dimension to CE - a great addition.
ssjx'sChuckie Egg Returns -- 2008
Available as a Windows executable or playable as a Java applet through the website. The source code for the Java applet update
is not provided, but the FreeBASIC v0.18 source of the initial native Windows version is available for download. It plays quite
slowly, the collision detection isn't great and the graphics aren't very polished. Plenty of extra neat little features have
been built into the display, though, including a complete map of the level - only part of the level is viewable on the screen.
There is a
Chuckie Egg Returns (0.3) discussion forum topic
at the FreeBASIC Games Directory.
Mark Lomas'Native Chuckie Egg for Windows -- 2009
This tiny (19kb) binary is Mark's Windows port of Michael Foot's accurate version of Chuckie Egg for RISC OS. Following
his DHTML and SDL conversions, this final version was designed from the start to be the first 100% native port of the BBC Micro
release of Chuckie Egg to Windows, whilst trying to remain as close to the size of the original BBC binary as possible. Whilst
the sound doesn't quite capture the original exactly, there's really not a lot to complain about here. It doesn't have any of
the GUI niceties of Mike Webb's long-standing, popular release, but that wasn't the intention here. What you get is pure
Chuckie Egg in a window. What more could you want? GPL source code and a
write-up
of what it took to produce this executable? It's all here, along with a series of interesting
articles.
Adrian Moye'sChuckie Egg 3D -- 1998 (unfinished)
A partial implementation in C - source available for download - of a 3D version of Chuckie Egg. According to the author, it
would require a lot of work to complete, although it has some useful code snippits for reference.
Ian Price'sDiv Chuckie Egg -- AWOL
Announced
in the Div Arena Forums on 22 Feb 2002, this remake version includes two modes, Original and Enhanced. The Original mode
is an exact replica of the AMSTRAD version, which the author feels is the best of the CE releases. The Enhanced mode is the same game,
but with updated graphics etc. The author has claimed it looks tasty and plays pretty good too but, unfortunately, only screenshots are
available because a hard drive crash has resulted in the loss of the original 8 level demo which was released to div-arena.com a couple
of years ago. If anyone can provide a copy of this, get in touch and we'll get it back online where it belongs.
Martin Buscombe'sCluckie Egg: The Retro Days -- TBC
A project to create a 3D version of Chuckie Egg. As of 19 March 2003, only screenshots are available.
Adam Cook'sChuckie Egg 3D -- 2004 (playable beta)
Another new project to create a 3D version of Chuckie Egg. A playable beta is available from a side on view much like the original.
In later releases, the author hopes to add a 3rd person view and try out various things to make it a bit different.
GNU/Linux
Mark Lomas'Native SDL Chuckie Egg -- 2009
This SDL port is Mark's follow-up to his online DHTML Chuckie Egg project. He has ported Michael Foot's faithful version of
Chuckie Egg for RISC OS to ANSI C, filling in the gaps for non-Acorn platforms to create an incredibly accurate, modern source
port based on the cross-platform SDL graphics library. Whilst we had problems with the sound on our 64-bit version of Debian
Testing, that could be a local issue. Like the Windows port Mark moved on to after this, there are no GUI niceties here like
those found in Mike Webb's long-standing, popular release - this is Chuckie Egg, in it's purest form. Best of all, not only
is the GPL source code available for download, but Mark has spent an incredible amount of time
documenting
the development of the project, along with other interesting
articles.
If you're interested in creating a faithful port of the original BBC release to a modern platform, start with the
source code and documentation available here.
RISC OS
Michael Foot'sChuckie Egg for RISC OS -- 2001
This port runs full-screen on all versions of RISC OS from 3.xx to 4.xx and requires the 32 bit system modules. The 32-bit
source code, reverse engineered from the BBC 32K release and converted to RISC OS, is available for download. This makes this
version the first fully accurate remake on a completely different platform, with an identical physics engine.
The latest update, courtesy of Alan Buckley, adds support for RISC OS 5.xx and the higher resolution screen modes on the
Iyonix
as well as adding the option to use outline fonts for the text. This new 1.04 version will still run on older Acorn hardware
as well but requires RISC OS 3.6 or above.
Dynamic HTML
Mark Lomas'DHTML Chuckie Egg -- 2009
Mark's goal when porting the original BBC Micro release to
modern web browsers
was to try and make it as close to perfectly faithful as possible, and the effort really shows. Whilst the behaviour of the hens is noticably
different due to the nigh-on-impossibility of trying to replicate the random number generation of the original BBC Micro code, anyone who complains
about the physics could only be described as being churlish. Mark admits it's only about 99% accurate, but you'll be hard-pushed to tell during
play. Depending on your browser and system, you may experience audio lag but there is an audio diagnostics page to help you troubleshoot. This
dynamic web version even includes an online
Level Editor
which stores your own custom levels as text in an unlimited cookie. Finally, in a true show of altruism, Mark has provided the GPL source code
and also spent a significant amount of time and effort
documenting
the development of his online port, with particular emphasis on the algorithms devised to mimic the original, in a series of interesting
articles. An awesome achievement overall, and one to be applauded.
Flash
Andy Paxo'sChuckie -- 2004
Not an exact port, this remake has colourful graphics and is played over the web - a browser with a Macromedia Flash plugin is
required.
GamesForge'sChuckie Egg -- 2006
Played over the web - a browser with a Macromedia Flash plugin is required - this remake has cracking sound effects and music.
The graphics are cute and use animation very nicely, though the game itself is a bit slow to play. Well worth a quick blast in
full-screen mode.
Neil Crutchlow'sChuckie Egg -- 2006
This port of the BBC 32K release captures the spirit of the original very well and is played over the web - a browser with
a Macromedia Flash plugin is required. Although it looks and feels great, it's not entirely accurate - the collision detection
and physics engine are markedly different allowing Harry to jump up through platforms in a way that isn't possible in the
original. The hens' movements, like virtually all CE ports, are also different to the original, though this is probably to be
expected. There's no option to redefine the keys, so use the cursor keys to control Hen House Harry, and press Space to jump.
There's also no high score table and the Hold and Abort keys have not been implemented - so your CE experience will be in one
sitting! Small niggles aside, this is a very good choice for a quick CE blast especially for gamers who aren't on their own PC
- as it doesn't require any local installation.
Update: A recent update has seen the addition of a new section where
you can now register to compare your score/level achievements with other users on a high score table, see how far you got prevously
and level skip to get back there.
Shockwave
Paul Steven'sChuckie Egg for Shockwave -- 2001?
With slight variants on the traditional level layouts, this remake takes its graphics and sounds from the BBC 32K release and
is played over the web - a browser with a Macromedia Shockwave plugin is required.
Java Applet
FatSeagal'sChocolate Factory, now Chuckie Egg 2 (a.k.a Choccy Egg) (defunct forum topic) -- 2008
A rare remake of Chuckie Egg 2. The bubbles have been omitted, just to get the game out the door, and the scoring system has been modified because
the original system 'bugged' the author - there are no lives anymore, you just lose 100 points every time Harry is killed. If the score drops
below zero, the game is over - the object is to complete just one egg and get it to dispatch with the highest score possible - where you'll receive
a medal position 'rating'. The graphics are a mix of the originals, with some updated ones here and there. The game plays pretty well, though it
feels like it could have benefited from a bit of spit and polish, before the final release. Definitely worth a play! Visit homepage to play
online Java applet.
FatSeagal'sChuckie Egg 2 - Redux (a.k.a Choccy Egg) (WIP forum topic) -- 2009
Even rarer, a remake of a remake. Based on FatSeagal's first Chuckie Egg 2 remake but with improved graphics from the author, including new
backgrounds, a little ditty & some general sound effects, as well as slight changes to the gameplay. This redux version also sees the
return of the bubbles and lifts which were omitted from the last version. Visit homepage to play online Java applet.
Alastair Booker'sJava Chuckie Egg -- TBC
(original site unavailable - archived by
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
Not yet complete, but a playable demo, based on the SPECTRUM 48K release, is available. The author would like feedback
and responses to confirm that developing it would be worthwhile.
Rich Sewell'sJava Chuckie Egg -- 2003
Mostly complete, this applet is based on the SPECTRUM 48K release. The Java code is entirely original, as opposed to a
Spectrum emulation of the original game. According to a
forum post on the site, the author has recently
uploaded the source code.
Java 2 Micro Edition
Bryan Mcphail'sJ2ME Chuckie Egg -- 2004
With the downloads currently disabled due to Elite Systems' recent J2ME licensed release, this site describes the
development of an unofficial mobile version based on the BBC 32K version of Chuckie Egg. Having been given an exclusive
preview, we can confirm that this game plays very closely to the original. The only flaws are the obvious ones relating to
the variations in J2ME handsets - on devices with a smaller screen size than the Motorola V500 it was developed for, the
screen can be cropped and modern handsets with more powerful processors run the game faster than required. On a Motorola
V500 or equivalent device, though, this could have provided those Chuckie Egg fans who preferred the BBC 32K release a worthy
alternative to the officially licensed port.
Students from the University of Évora'sJ2ME MIDP2.0 Chuckie Egg -- 2004
(
original site is unavailable - it is archived by
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine
and the original software archives, hosted elsewhere, may also still be available:
source tar-ball,
graphics tar-ball,
Nuno Morgadinho's university wiki (Portuguese) and
freshmeat.net: Project details for Chuckie Egg J2ME)
A GPL'd J2ME implementation, this version uses MIDP 2.0. Originally written using the
J2ME Wireless Toolkit and the
Nokia
Series 60 SDK simulator, without a compatible phone, it is fairly playable in software. The project was developed by a
group of students as a school assignment but none of them have the time to continue working on the project so it has been
orphaned. Patch contributions and further maintenance offers welcomed by
chuckie-egg-j2me@lockstep.org (
Tiago Fernandes,
Cláudio Fernandes,
Tiago Bilou and
Nuno Morgadinho).
If the original contact addresses do not work, Nuno Morgadinho has new contact details listed on his
homepage.
Most recently, 22 Nov. 2006, Tiago posted some
further information
on how to compile the code under Mac OS X.
There are no binaries available but the code itself compiles and we've tested it on a Nokia N70, where it fit the screen
without modification. The first few times the game was started, it appeared to start the level well and looked good but,
unfortunately, quickly locked up. However, after a few days with only occasional testing the game seemed to settle down and
began to work reliably. On the whole, this application should work with any J2ME MIDP 2.0 compatible device but it might
require some Java knowledge to create a working version for a particular setup - mainly to tweak the codebase to ensure the
game works reliably with the specific hardware characteristics of that device.
A good proportion of the game itself is complete. Jumping on to higher platforms outlines some collision detection problems,
making it very hard to retrieve the seed at the top of the platform stairway on level 1. Instead of leaping up the stepped
platforms, Harry seems to jump through them and falls to the long platform below. On level 2 the number of hens is down to
one and they're completely gone by level 3 which also exposes the lack of lifts which are customarily used to move around this
and later levels. The levels themselves are fairly accurate to the original layouts but only the first four are implemented.
After the completion of level 4, the game continues to loop round to this same level which, as there are no hens at all, means
that the only danger to be concerned about are the gaps in the bottom platform - particularly across the shaft which normally
holds the lift. The final glaring omission is the Mother Duck which is nowhere to be seen. That all said, with the GPL'd
source code available, all of these issues could be resolved by a sufficiently talented Java programmer and it is also fairly
simple to recompile the application with new graphics based on the original ports or any other theme. Note, however, that the
language of the text within the game itself and the commented source code is Portuguese, not English - unlike the project's
website. This is also the only version of CE available for many phones - for example, neither Bryan Mcphail's currently
unavailable version or Elite System's official port worked as satisfactorily on the same Nokia N70's screen.
Texas Instruments TI-89 & TI-92 Plus
Samir Ribic'sTezxas running Chuckie Egg -- 1999
Tezxas is a Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for this pair of graphic calculators which claims compatibility with almost all
games originally written for the ZX Spectrum. Though not a perfect emulator, it is supposed to run most games at a playable
speed - slightly faster when using the greater capabilities of the TI-92 Plus - and has a surprisingly nice display, though
the number of visible pixels is reduced, due to the calculators' screen limitations. A number of games are available for
download and have been modified to ensure their best performance under Tezxas, including the SPECTRUM 48K release of
Chuckie Egg.
Nintendo GameBoy Color
Chris Bailey'sChuckie Egg DX -- 2001
The V0.33 beta release of this remake is supplied with The Chuckie Egg Professional's Resource Kit and can be played using
the GameBoy Color driver within MESS (no BIOSes required). As a designated beta release, this remake does have a few rough
edges - no in-game music, no pause function or high score table and occasionally, as in level 4, a hen will get stuck in one
of the gaps. Based loosely on the BBC 32K release, this is overall a great release - although the sound effects are minimal,
the graphics are superb - taking full advantage of the platform. Rather than attempting to squash the whole level on to the
GBC's minimal screen display, this port scrolls around the level as Harry moves, which works surprisingly well - the only loss
is the status bar at the top, which only becomes visible when Harry reaches the top of the level, or completes the screen.
Most importantly, however, it captures the original gameplay brilliantly.
Nintendo GameBoy Advance
James Grimwood'sChuckie Egg for GBA -- 2003
This release is based on the original SPECTRUM 48K, with some level modifications to fit the GBA's screen. Full GPL'd source
and precompiled ROM image available for download.
GP2X
Neil Crutchlow'sChuckie Egg GP2X remake -- 2006
This remake is based on the original BBC 32K release and a .GPE executable is available for download. We haven't got a GP2X
here at Bagshot Row but GP2X retro fans say that apart from a slight interruption in the sound and the lack of a high score
table, this looks pretty faithful to the original. Rated 6 out of 10 at the time of writing, there are also more feedback
comments at the
gp2x File Archive.
Cybiko
ssjx'sChuckie Egg for Cybiko -- 2008
This remake is a work in progress with missing features and only 2 levels available in v0.1 for a hand-held computer that was
launched in May 2000 and designed for teenagers, featuring its own two-way radio text messaging system. Apparently, Space quits
the game not escape as the title screen says. Source is included and the author welcomes all constructive feedback. There is a
Chuckie Egg for Cybiko discussion forum topic at PlanetCybiko.net.
Sony PlayStation Portable
Richard Rose, rosera aka agilemonkey'sChuckie Egg SDL Port for PSP -- Feb 2010 (
forum discussion topic)
Requires custom firmware 5.xx. A one-player PSP conversion of Mark Lomas' hugely faithful source port of the BBC 32K Chuckie Egg
release (although screenshot is of the ELECTRON release!) for Sony's hand-held console, apparently created while Richard was watching rugby!
Enterprise 128
Enterprise 128 Chuckie Egg -- 19??
The Enterprise 128 computer was home to many unofficial Spectrum ports due to the hardware similarities between the two machines.
There's no clues as to when or who converted Chuckie Egg, but the result is very similar to the original Spectrum release - the
Enterprise is based around the same Z80 processor so, as would be expected, this is one of the few close conversions of the
Spectrum release. In many ways it is identical, but there remain a few differences - the second set of keys are slightly different
as the Enterprise 128 version supports a native joystick. Harry starts with six lives, instead of four and, most strikingly, the
status bars of information at the top are all in blue, rather than mostly red with just the non-active players' scores in blue as in
Nigel's Spectrum release. There is no little tune at the start of the game, or when Harry dies and the animated rectangles between
levels are mainly red and blue, instead of many colours. This is almost certainly because the Enterprise's video mode has different
attribution of colours to the Spectrum, and the missing music is based on a BEEP subroutine in the Spectrum ROM - which hasn't been
simulated in this Enterprise port. There is also a pause just before the start of each life, which requires a key press to begin
or continue the game, allowing you to take a little breather. The graphics are pretty much identical to the Spectrum release, even
going so far as to suffer from the infamous Spectrum colour clashes when Harry or the birds climb or walk through ladders, eggs or
seed. The sprites are also open to the same argument as the Spectrum - that they do not move as quickly or as fluidly as the BBC
32K version.
Atari 7800
GroovyBee'sHarry's Hen House -- April 2009 (WIP)
Announced in Easter 2009, Harry's Hen House is a tribute to Chuckie Egg for the Atari 7800. Work is still in progress, but it's looking very good already.
The background graphics have been converted to 160A mode (3 colours) though more levels are needed. Both the controls and Harry's jumping still need a bit
of work and the latest posted version also needs a DLI to change the score/lives colours too. Looks well worth keeping an eye on, though.
ZX Spectrum
FELL'sManic Miner 2000 -- 2000
(download link broken - archived at Dr. Andrew Broad's
Manic Miner/Jet Set Willy page)
Actually a Manic Miner clone, this is worth mentioning because it contains a screen called The Hen-House for Miner Willy
to navigate, based on level 1 of Chuckie Egg. Worth checking out, if only to see how Willy stacks up against our own Hen
House Harry on this tribute screen! (Note: .z80 snapshot may not work with MESS)