In a world totally unlike our own, trouble of the most evil kind is hatching. The cockerel Elders have been poached by the ruthless crows, and with no one left to sound the daily wake-up call, Morning Land has been cursed by darkness. And we don't mean the tight-trousered Eighties throwback rock group either...
Fortunately, it's not all doom and gloom just yet. Playing hero and trying to restore sunlight to these once tranquil lands is the fresh-faced, jump-aholic Billy Hatcher. Blessed with the powers of a ingenious chicken suit (you what?), only he can rescue dawn from extinction.
Stone The Crows What this all boils down to is a scrambled concoction of rolling massive eggs over food icons to make them hatch, battering crow monsters (a bit like ten-pin bowling with a giant egg, actually) and leaping gallantly through whimsical fairytale lands. The point of hatching the eggs, we should mention, is to release power-ups. Or, more spectacularly, magical creatures armed with skills such as lightning attacks and water sprays.
Bird-Brained Billy Hatcher is one of those gems that is simple yet fiendishly addictive in equal measure. Even the egg-rolling physics appear remarkably fluent, as you tumble down twisting, hole-ridden ledges and are propelled skywards via special bouncy hoops. Raising various breeds of animals not only cranks up the 'cutesy' factor, but also adds strategy to Hatcher's cock-a-hoop brand of 3D platforming. Overcoming certain obstacles requires a specific ally (the water beast to pass the fire dragon guardian, for example), forcing you to carefully recognise and nurture the correct egg.
With three decent multiplayer modes also in the offing, there's plenty to get your teeth into - and even those who don't enjoy egg whites in the digestive sense should still find this adventure tasty.
Totally bonkers, cunningly simple, yet downright fun from start to finish. With plenty to uncover, only a lack of variety prevents this from being truly essential.
Feed an egg with food icons, and then watch it grow and hatch. Inside every egg (of which there are 76 different varieties) is a little surprise, ranging from bombs to magical creatures. In fact, search carefully and you'll uncover many popular Sega characters, including Sonic and NiGHTS, plus downloadable GBA games via link-up (Chu Chu Rocket!, anyone?). Superb!
Rolling eggs over food makes them bigger until they reach this size
Hatch it and out pops a goodie, in this case a spiky-backed ice creature
You can then use its magical powers to pass obstacles and defeat enemies
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
