Chicken Run
One of the best films I’ve seen this year was
 CHICKEN RUN and when I received a copy of the Playstation 
conversion I loaded it with a little trepidation. I don’t know 
exactly what I was expecting but I was certainly surprised with
 what appeared on my screen. The cut scenes, the animation and
 the characters themselves were all true to my recollection – it
 was a smooth and sophisticated visual treat right from the off. 

The gameplay surrounds the chicken’s bird-brained plots to
 escape from confinement in Stalag 17, otherwise known as the
 Tweedy Farm. Barbed wire, searchlights and patrol dogs keep
 them imprisoned, not to mention Mr. Tweedy’s constant prowling,
 and these daft birds have some very unusual escape plans. Each
 of these involves Ginger, or one of her avian chums, seeking
 out and retrieving an assortment of items and returning them to
 the relevant hut, which results in a really cute action /
 strategy game.  

The guard dogs and the prowling Tweedys are the main hazards 
but, thanks to a little radar screen, players can spot where 
their tormentors are, evade discovery courtesy of a cone of
 vision display and, hopefully, recover the necessary item. 
These could be anything from a kitchen knife to some fireworks
 but believe me; they all have a place in the scheme of things.
 Sometimes, simple puzzles are involved too, which makes the
 gameplay a little varied, but in no way does it ever appear 
repetitive or monotonous.  

Eventually, you may stumble across one of the many sub-games 
that are liberally sprinkled throughout and, although not
 particularly taxing, they will bring a smile to your face. I
 mean, who wouldn’t find catapulting chickens over a fence 
amusing? Other mini-games include gathering eggs, bouncing hens 
off mattresses and a lot of button bashing to make chicken 
seamstresses sew faster to construct wings for the plane.  

CHICKEN RUN is a great little game no matter what your age. It’s
 a lot of fun, very cleverly produced and incredibly addictive.