Currently scheduled for release in February, Insecticide is an action adventure game where you'll assume the role of a detective at a time when anthropomorphic (and very large) insects have claimed Earth for themselves. The game incorporates both fast-paced action sequences and puzzle-oriented investigative challenges. As you play through them and explore the city of Troi, you'll encounter a number of unusual characters who can help or hinder your murder investigation. The following, courtesy of the development team at Crackpot Entertainment, is a rundown of said characters:

Detective Chrys Liszt

　　Weight: 114 pounds

　　Species: Unknown

　　Weapon of choice: Pollinator

　　Affiliations: Roachy Caruthers' partner

　　Notes: She is tuned into the vibe of the streets of Troi but is a bit of an enigma--even to herself. Her memory of her past is murky--quite possibly because of an accident that she suspects has left her on her own. And, just to twist the knife in this cliché of a past, she has disturbing flashbacks that haunt her dreams as well. But she has yet to make any sense of them. It's this search for answers that led her to cross paths with Roachy and eventually sign on to the Troi City P.D.

　　Now partnered with Roachy, she is a rookie detective in Precinct Number 47's Insecticide Division, tasked with solving the countless murders and violent squashings in the seedy city. She can stick to walls for brief periods and run along them. She is also unfazed by a shot of bug spray that would take down an insect twice her size and, oddly, seems to be one of the rare few not totally obsessed with the addictive flavor of Troi's ridiculously popular soft drink (or "carbonated lifestyle enhancer"), Nectarola.

Detective Roachy Caruthers

　　Height: 5 feet 1 inch

　　Weight: 155 pounds

　　Species: Cockroach

　　Weapon of choice: Amber

　　Affiliations: Chrys Liszt's partner

　　Notes: A cop for 30-some years, Roachy is one of the longest serving veterans on the Troi P.D. Not that that buys him respect or credibility with the big bugs downtown--Roachy has always been a "street roach." He's approaching retirement age, but Chief Chigger made it clear that the precinct would close up and cut pensions if they couldn't find some bodies to fill the desks to solve a few cases on the board. This led to one of Roachy's better ideas: recruiting Chrys to the Academy. He's been shot 47 times in the line of duty, but it hasn't slowed him down much. Even though cockroaches didn't quite become the dominant species on the planet as most humans predicted, they are nevertheless extremely durable.

Chief Chigger

　　Height: 5 feet 2 inches

　　Weight: 189 pounds

　　Species: Chigger

　　Weapon of choice: Condescension

　　Affiliations: Chief of Precinct 47, Insecticide Division

　　Notes: Chief Chigger is the typical screaming, over-the-top police captain (it must be one of the job requirements). Only, he's got a few more limbs to frantically wave around when he's angry. He's been on the force as long as anyone can remember. Some say he may have even come with the building. He screams about everything, but deep down in his black heart, he trusts Roachy's instincts on how to turn things around. Unfortunately, the big bugs downtown are watching, so all the rope he gives the veteran and his new recruits may end up forming an unlikely noose in the end.

Detective Eugene Grubbowski

　　Height: 6 feet 2 inches

　　Weight: 310 pounds

　　Species: Rhino Beetle

　　Weapon of choice: Beetle Buster

　　Affiliations: Hex Bloombug's partner

　　Notes: Due to his large size, Grubbs is often stereotyped as a brute, but he's really just a sensitive guy. His main outlet is poetry, and the more violent his work gets, the more he is driven to write. In fact, after a recent triple-insecticide investigation, Grubbs' reports were written in iambic pentameter for at least a month. When the muse calls, he tells Chigger, he must answer. Sometimes when he's drawing chalk outlines around bodies, Grubbs can be heard asking questions like, "Does 'romantically swooned' rhyme with 'knife wound'?"

Detective Hexelrod Bloombug

　　Height: 6 feet 4 inches

　　Weight: 153 pounds

　　Species: Wasp

　　Weapon of choice: Nectar Cannon

　　Affiliations: Eugene Grubbowski's partner

　　Notes: Roachy spots Hex as a real standout candidate for his new squad--he graduated top of his class at the Academy (…OK, out of three)--and recruits him to the precinct. A total gadget freak, Hex uses what's left of his trust fund to make better, bigger, and louder weapons. They look great but are not always practical in the swarm of battle. He sometimes grates on his partners' exoskeletons, especially when he is so busy with his gadgets or spouts police factoids that interfere with the case at hand. Hex is all about doing things "by the book"…so much that he has even been known to stop and refer to the actual book during the heat of battle.

Madame Haezzle Quinbee

　　Height: 5 feet 10 inches

　　Weight: Classified information. All previous medical records have been sealed, and some sort of jamming device is rumored to override previous attempts at gathering this data.

　　Species: Bee

　　Outstanding warrants: None

　　Record: None

　　Weapon of choice: N/A

　　Affiliations: N/A

　　Notes: Madame Quinbee is the most powerful figure in Troi, the de facto mayor, a titan of the business community, and a beloved advertising spokesperson for the Nectarola Co., the most successful food/beverage conglomerate in recorded history. In fact, her popularity is almost a bit puzzling, given how Nectarola has either taken over or destroyed most of its competition. But, there's just something about the way she sings her jingle and tells everyone "…don't forget to call me Honey" that makes the soda-chugging populace putty in her segmented hands. But, now on the eve of the biggest product launch in the company's history--new Manchurian Cherry Nectarola--there's been a murder at company headquarters. And the resulting investigation lifts up the rotten log on an epic mystery, exposing all the creepy-crawlies that someone would prefer remain hidden.

Buzzbee Corolla

　　Height: 5 feet 6 inches

　　Weight: 162 pounds

　　Species: Bee

　　Outstanding warrants: None

　　Record: None

　　Weapon of choice: N/A

　　Affiliations: N/A

　　Notes: He was standing in for Madame Quinbee during the rehearsals for the big television unveiling of the new soft drink when things went terribly wrong. And, while his dreams of stardom were crushed, along with his frail body, his death opens up an investigation into a much bigger mystery. Though his demise seems, at first, to have been an accident, further investigation reveals that his death wasn't just the result of bad stage direction.

Beebot

　　Height: 4 feet 9 inches

　　Weight: 685 pounds

　　Species: Robot

　　Outstanding warrants: None

　　Record: None

　　Weapon of choice: Unknown

　　Affiliations: Works exclusively for the Nectarola Co.

　　Notes: The beloved Nectarola Beebot is a spokesbot universally adored and trusted by the citizens of Troi. First appearing in a commercial several years back for the ill-conceived E.Cola, the Beebot nevertheless rebounded into Troi's hearts after securing a supporting role in the new ad campaign featuring Quinbee herself as spokesperson. The Beebots are quite accomplished dancers with a pleasant speaking voice and a lovely tenor, but they seem surprisingly powerful for use as a simple advertising prop.

Ozwald Mandias

　　Height: 5 feet 7 inches

　　Weight: 132 pounds

　　Species: Hominid

　　Weapon of choice: The non-sequitur

　　Affiliations: Works for an unknown employer in an elaborately outfitted lab at the top of Hominid City.

　　Notes: Ozzy is a talented scientist whose faculties have declined somewhat over the years due to pollen exposure. He works in a solitary facility that seems to be a genetics lab, a demolitions facility, or both. The equipment there costs more than everything else in the underground city combined, but what Ozzy is using it for is a mystery. He seems to be holding back--no doubt because of the security cameras trained on him 24/7. One thing for certain, though, is that he seems to know a lot about Chrys and is somehow connected to her mysterious past.

Artie Phlegming

　　Height: 5 feet 10 inches

　　Weight: 167 pounds

　　Species: Spit Bug

　　Outstanding warrants: Wanted in connection with the Nectarola murder.

　　Record: Two years in Sting-Sting for assault with a deadly fluid.

　　Weapon of choice: Toxic saliva

　　Affiliations: Member of the Spit Fires

　　Notes: Artie is the leader of a Troi street gang whose turf covers most of the waterfront. His reputation is that he's the go-to bug if you need a piece. He's been brought up on multiple weapons charges, but they never stick. Chigger suspects he's running guns smuggled in on the freighters and then selling them cheap on the black market.

Jimmy Spitzler

　　Height: 5 feet 11 inches

　　Weight: 172 pounds

　　Species: Spit Bug

　　Outstanding warrants: Wanted for questioning related to a weapons warehouse theft. Record: Six months in Sting-Sting for spitting on the sidewalk (the toxic saliva burned a hole right through it, damaging some expensive electrical equipment underneath).

　　Weapon of choice: Toxic saliva

　　Affiliations: Member of the Spit Fires

　　Notes: Jimmy is another troublemaker with a dangerous sinus condition. Given his connection to Artie, he could be tied to the Nectarola murder weapon sale, but there's no proof so far. Keep an eye on this phlegmthrower, though.

Jimmy "Stix" McGillicuddy

　　Height: 7 feet 2 inches

　　Weight: 142 pounds

　　Species: Stick Bug

　　Outstanding warrants: Wanted for questioning regarding hista-mine found at the scene of the murder.

　　Record: In and out of the joint since he was a larvae on a series of robbery and weapons charges.

　　Weapon of choice: Seems to have a new favorite every week, but he's partial to the Beetle Buster, a small hard-shelled pistol.

　　Affiliations: Member of the Javelins

　　Notes: Jimmy is one of the old guard from the Javelins and suspected of operating a weapons smuggling ring down by the waterfront. He is known as the smart one, considering how many times he's talked his way out of doing time. He is also extremely hard to hit and good at disappearing into the scenery because of his thin stature.

Millie Slomoe (Waitress)

　　Height: 5 feet 9 inches

　　Weight: 387 pounds

　　Species: Snail

　　Outstanding warrants: N/A

　　Record: N/A

　　Weapon of choice: Expired dairy products

　　Affiliations: Waterfront Hospitality Workers Local 429

　　Notes: Millie sees everything and knows nothing. She's slow-witted and even slower-footed, which may be a good thing because the time it takes her to get to your table allows some of the toxins in the food to dissipate. She seems willing to help with the investigation, but everyone's a suspect at the Dewdrop Trough.

Robobugs

　　Height: 6 feet 7 inches

　　Weight: 413 pounds

　　Species: Unknown

　　Outstanding warrants: Wanted for destruction of the Dewdrop Trough, interference with the arrest of a suspect, and assault with deadly force.

　　Record: Unknown

　　Weapon of choice: Nectar Blasters

　　Affiliations: Unknown

　　Notes: These "things" busted up the diner, grabbed a wanted suspect from police custody, and used deadly force to prevent authorities from detaining them. That's nothing unusual for a night in Troi. What's unusual is their strange mechanical suits and the fact that Chrys has seen them before…in her recurring nightmares!

Mechsquitos

　　Height: 6 feet

　　Weight: 1.3 pounds

　　Species: Robot

　　Outstanding warrants: N/A

　　Record: N/A

　　Weapon of choice: Antique pistol

　　Affiliations: Robobugs carry a small hive of these in a compartment in the back of their suits.

　　Notes: The Robos set these guys loose at the waterfront. Once airborne, they hone in on you with built-in GPS, like a flying pistol with radar. These bugs will swarm and catch you when there's no cover.

Bee Guards

　　Species: Bee

　　Outstanding warrants: Unknown

　　Record: Unknown

　　Weapon of choice: Surliness

　　Affiliations: They work exclusively for Quinbee and Nectarola; they're rarely seen outside company property.

　　Notes: They're what's left of Quinbee's elite Apian Guard and part of the larger Nectarola Bee workforce, although recently, Quinbee's been seen mostly with Beebots. She claims it's all part of her new "friendlier" image, but there are rumors that it's actually because the Bee population is dwindling. It's hard to verify because they've always been a secretive group and Nectarola claims a majority of them is working at one of its many undisclosed Pollen Fields locations.

Appliance bugs

　　Height: 7 feet

　　Weight: 1.5 pounds

　　Species: Robot

　　Outstanding warrants: N/A

　　Record: N/A

　　Weapon of choice: Remote operated mixer cooled laser pistol with telephonic pulse

　　Affiliations: Part of the Hominid Security and Telecommunications Network and comes with the Good Homemaker gold star rating.

　　Notes: These are nasty little critters cobbled together from miscellaneous spare telephones, irons, mixers, remote controls, and other electronics and appliance parts. They are strapped together with duct tape and outfitted with a laser pistol. If you can stun one, you can pick it up and strap it to your arm to use as a weapon.

Hominids

　　Species: Hominid

　　Outstanding warrants: Unknown

　　Record: Unknown

　　Weapon of choice: Semiautomatic compression projection bug spray rifle

　　Affiliations: Unknown

　　Notes: Their makeshift metropolis was built using scrap metal and train parts. But it's well organized and seems to be the base of operations for Robobug excursions. The bigger mystery, though, is their use of the strange symbol and its connection to the crate on the train, as well as Chrys' past.

　　We'll bring you more information on Insecticide, which is also headed to the PC as a two-part downloadable game, as soon as it becomes available.