Chicken Hunter

Fortunately, these mistakes weren't entirely for nothing. While on the brink of designing a Nintendo DS sequel/spin-off, the developers of Chicken Hunter knew they had to produce more than a graphical upgrade to Duck Hunt. They had to create a game that would use these fowl foes for something substantial.

Something Substantial?

Unlike Chicken Shoot, which featured just one style of gameplay, Chicken Hunter contains five play modes: Classic, Weights, Gems, Hotwire and Spot the Difference. The Classic mode is nearly identical to the Wii version. But instead of pointing and shooting with the Wii remote, you tap the bottom screen to make each kill. Chicken models have left their cartoon roots behind in favor of a semi-3D, semi-claymation aesthetic. Their appearance is light and friendly and doesn't yield the kind of bloodthirsty results a shooter fan may be expecting. That's the price you pay for being rated "E" for Everyone.

As moving targets, some chickens can be seen reading, hovering, or holding up a frying pan. They hold the pan up not only as a way of taunting (which they shouldn't do – they know I'll get 'em eventually), but also to deflect your bullets. Their deflection won't hurt the player, but unless you can come up with a way to get around the pan, there's little chance the chicken will end up inside. (But if he does, I recommend using a wet batter. When finished, serve with roasted potatoes and a corn biscuit.)

In the Wii version, players hunted their dinner-to-be across a playing field that was much longer than any television set. The same is true for Chicken Hunter on the DS. To see everything the stage has to offer, push the D-pad left and right. The screen scrolls from side to side until it reaches the end, allowing players to eliminate chickens as soon as they come into view – and to get in a few more shots before the lucky ones escape.

Fans of Chicken Shoot won't be disappointed by Chicken Hunter. Chances are they'll like it even better thanks to the superior controls (the touch screen mechanics are much more responsive than those designed for the Wii version) and upgraded graphics. The rest of you, however, will be searching for...

Something Substantial, Take Two

In Weights mode, chickens fly across the screen as normal. You can also adjust the screen and move from side to side. The goal, however, has completely changed. Your gun has been replaced with a hefty cannon. At first it appears that you're supposed to fire the cannon to wipe out the chickens. But that's not your objective. Each weight has a colored circle on the front; any of one of those must be linked with two other weights of that color to score a point. Now you'll probably expect the game to take on a Bust-a-Move style of play. Nope. As it turns out, colors are also assigned to each chicken. Hmmm, now we're getting somewhere. If you fire a red weight at a red chicken, the bird will hang on. Toss another red weight and he'll be weighed down a bit. Follow up with one final red weight and the chicken will fall, your score will rise, and you'll be faced with a strange-but-intriguing puzzle game that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

If you want a more conventional puzzle game with an unconventional twist, the Gems mode is where to turn. Once again, chickens approach by air. But you won't be sliding across a lengthy playing field this time. Players are restricted to one screen worth of content. The reason is at the very bottom of your DS, where three metallic containers reside. As a chicken approaches the container, tap its body to release one gem – the color of which is the same as the bird's shirt. Gems that successfully reach a container will end up in its corresponding puzzle area (viewable on the top screen). Line up three or more gems of the same color, vertically or diagonally, to eliminate the row or column.

This mode is interesting because, unlike every other puzzler, you don't dictate the fate of the gems. You can only wait for the chickens to hover over one of the containers and hope you tap the screen in time. Snails patrol the area and will block any gem that drops. Tap them several times to make 'em disappear but only for a few seconds.

Something Substandard

Remember those childhood books that showed two similar pictures but featured several well-hidden differences? That's what the Spot the Difference mode is like – minus the ability to actually spot the difference. The pictures aren't that clear, and when your eyes finally see the photos for what they really are, the game will do its part to say you're wrong. I tapped the same area of a picture five times and received five "X" marks before the game said I was correct. Why the sequential failures? Oh, because my touch was a dust speck away from where the game believed it should be.

Hotwire mode is like a racing game – sort of. Here's what you do: touch the car on the screen and wait for the track to start moving. As the track moves from the top to the bottom of the touch screen, your job is to slightly drag the car left and right to avoid hitting the sides of the track. This goes on until the track finally reaches a max speed; levels continue growing after that, but your interest will not.

Something...But Not Enough

With the original play style improved and two new modes that are impressive, Chicken Hunter is a solid step in the right direction. However, there still isn't enough "game" here. The puzzle modes feel like a demo; a mere portion of what should have been included.