A side scrolling jumping platform game.
Are you chicken enough to help Alfred recover the stolen eggs?

The player takes the role of a chicken named Alfred who must find his way through bizarre levels full of balloons, telephones, cheese and other strange elements. While he is on the ground, Alfred can walk, jump, and peck balloons and ground switches. While he is in the air he can dive bomb enemies or springs. Dive bombing enemies will destroy them. Dive bombing springs will bounce Alfred much higher so he can reach platforms well above his normal jumping ability. If he does not hit an enemy or a spring, Alfred will get stuck in the ground for a short time.

To complete a level, Alfred must find and peck all the balloons. The last balloon will take him to a boss fight. If Alfred dies, he starts as an egg located at the last balloon pecked.

Alfred can receive a few power ups during the game. For one power up, he must answer a telephone in secret areas to make a giant flower give him a pot of jam. The jam gives Alfred the ability to shoot a bomb (about the size of Alfred himself) which bounces around the screen collecting things and hurting enemies. Another power up is a worm that spins around Alfred destroying enemies that it touches. You must find a can of worms to get this power up.

After the Meka-Chickens kidnap his friends, Alfred must chase them through a series of mazes. To clear each maze, you as Alfred must pop all of the balloons, the very last of which will transport him to the next stage. In each maze, you must avoid a number of enemies including Mino, Mag-Mine, Byron Snail, and Wind-up Mouse. However, you can use a dive or peck attack to eliminate some of the enemies. In addition to the bad guys, there are a number of power-ups in each maze: diamonds and eggcups will grant extra lives, while a can of worms will give you some extra defense. It's up to you to defeat the Meka-Chickens and save your friends in ALFRED CHICKEN.

Alfred Chicken separates itself from most platformers with its quirky characters and emphasis on vertical movement. Since Alfred can fly short distances, players will spend as much time going up and down as they will going forward. Levels are completed by popping balloons strategically placed throughout various environments, adding a puzzle-solving element. The graphics are a cut above most NES games, with detailed character animations and small touches like Alfred bursting into a cloud of feathers when hit.