| Introduction
We brought you news of the GBA version of Germany's
favourite shooting game several months ago and we even
reviewed Moorhuhn 2 for the GBC last year. The whole
Moorhuhn phenomenon started with a promotional game
produced by Phenomedia some years ago but it has since
made its way to almost every format from the PC and
Macintosh to the Playstation and, of course, the GBA.
The last handheld version was great fun but as we've
seen with many of these crossover titles, more processing
power does not make for better gameplay. With that in
mind, is the third outing as much fun as the last? Read
on...
GamePlay
This really couldn't be any simpler; Moorhen features
no complicated gameplay whatsoever. You just shoot things.
The real skill though is in knowing just what to shoot
and when to shoot it and where some targets reap sizeable
rewards others will drain your score in no time at all.
One addition to version three is the introduction of
protected birds flying around with your intended targets
which means that shooting now takes a little more thought
than simply blasting into the sky. Other features remain
intact and there are still items that need to be avoided
such as balloons and various animals on the ground.
As usual though you'll need to experiment to find out
just what's worth hitting and what's not.
One of the best parts of the Moorhen series has been
the hidden bonuses and secrets but they've always been
well concealed and you're more likely to discover them
by accident rather than actually work them out. I won't
spoil some of the goodies we've discovered in this version
but Moorhuhn 2 featured spiders that could be spun around
trees and the first edition had you shaking trees then
shooting down ten leaves for a 100 point bonus. Finally
the hi-score chart is still there as is the wonderful
battery back up so you can prove that you did actually
get a score over 50.
Controls
Actual gameplay controls couldn't be simpler with
the 'D-pad' controlling the targeting and the 'A' and
'B' shooting and loading. Remarkably, and in a departure
from the PC original, the developers have made one aspect
of the game a little trickier than it should be. This
is a result of utilising the shoulder buttons to scroll
the landscape rather than applying the simpler push
scroll. Very strange.
Graphics
The graphics and animation take a huge leap from
the GBC version with visuals now incredibly close to
the PC original. This is mostly due to the extended
palette, which allows for a greater depth of field throughout
the landscape. The animation of the various birds has
also improved and everything looks much smoother and
more fluid. There are some limitations though, most
notably the lack of other game modes and the wonderful
FMV clip that accompanied Moorhuhn 2.
Sound & Music
Throughout the title screens and various menu systems
you'll be treated to a suitably chicken inspired soundtrack
which although it is only on a rather short sampled
loop still manages to complement the game's theme. The
actual game is packed with the sounds of gunshots, birds
and other objects being hit. It's a little simplistic
but as it's all this title requires, it works very well.
Final Comments
I had big hopes for this game as I already own it
for the Playstation and the Mac and it's always been
excellent for a mindless 90 seconds of blasting with
its simplicity being the main attraction. The difference
here is that a full commercial product needs to offer
different things than a freebie with the main aspect
being value for money. Sadly Moorhen 3 on the GBA just
isn't as much fun as Moorhuhn 2 on the GBC and we have
yet another case of 'more power, less product'. Adding
more gaming modes could have easily saved it and although
what's here is enjoyable, there's just not enough of
it.
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