Chicken Invaders: The Next Wave

Chicken Invaders 2 is the second instalment of the fascinatingly entertaining space shooter game from InterAction Studios. The game, like the original version, involves a lone spaceship adrift in space, battling the legions of vicious, technologically advanced alien chickens. This episode of the game is called 'Chicken Invaders: The Next Wave' and comes with the tagline of 'Just when you thought it was safe to eat chicken again, the chickens have returned with an organised invasion to take over the solar system. Journey to each planet and fight your way through to save the world (again!).

As in the first game you must shoot down wave after wave of chickens. Each chicken turns into drumsticks which can be collected until the player has enough to trade them in for missiles which can do a lot of damage, sometimes clearing out an entire wave of chickens simultaneously. As well as the bones there are power ups in gift boxes that should be collected along the way. The chickens drop eggs which must be avoided as they explode violently, taking lives and causing damage.

The premise behind the whole Chicken Invaders' series is a basic shooter game, with wave after wave of enemies coming into the screen rapidly and requiring concentration and undivided attention to defeat them all. This satisfies the needs of the hardened player who is only interested in completing the game, racking up the highest score and showing off his or her skills by beating his or her personal best.

However, the real charm of Chicken Invaders is the quirky storyline: alien chickens with superior intelligence and highly advanced technology coming to earth to teach us pesky humans a lesson for eating so many of their brethren! The designers play on themes instantly recognised and adored by space and science fiction geeks, such as Star Wars and other iconic space mythology. The relentless silliness of the concept lies alongside an open-minded uneasiness ('What if it is true? How many chickens have I eaten in my lifetime? Ma! I'm going vegetarian!') that is mixed with a deeply childlike, but satisfying, humour. This concept probably works so well because the alien chickens are so completely ruthless in the game, making a believable enemy, even while maintaining a high standard of ridiculousness!

Pros

• Another great chapter to go with the original game, with enough innovation to keep players interested and hooked on the game
• Appealing to all ages

Cons

• Nothing