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A few months ago, Russ Michaels (EBES head honcho) revealed that there was a mammoth EEC Software Mountain in Europe, with over eight-years' worth of undiscovered C64 games just waiting to be released over here in Blighty.

One of the first games to arrive is a rather strange little two-player game called Chicken, which, despite what the title screen would have you believe, has nothing to do with small, domesticated, feathery farm animals which are bred for their eggs and succulent white flesh.

The game is based on a number of different levels, each of which is a static screen (that's static as in still, not electrically charged). Each player controls a car of some description, which they have to steer around a Pac-Man style maze, collecting any icons that take their fancy.

So where does the chicken come into his? Basically, the cars are constantly moving forward, and the players can only decide which way to steer the car when it comes to a junction. At regular intervals, the status panel at the bottom of the screen will alternate between red and blue, effectively switching power between the red and blue cars. If the red car is currently indicated and it collides with the blue car, the blue car will be damaged. Likewise, the red car will sustain damage if it collides with the blue car when it's in control.

Each car can only take a certain amount of damage before it is destroyed, so you need to be very cautious before ramming your opponent (hence the title 'chicken' - do you dare take the risk that you'll come off worse?). Various pick-ups can be collected along the way, ranging from simple bonuses to essential power-ups and helpful hardware (see the screenshot we've lovingly reproduced here). Later levels also introduce rogue elements, which can cause all manner of problems.

Chicken is an extraordinary game, and is probably one of the best two-player games I've encountered in a long while. It lacks the clinical genius of Mystery, but makes up for this with some hilarious gameplay.

If you want a game to play again and again, give Chicken a try... or don't you have the guts?