Chess Mates
Reviewed by Jason Levine
Published by Brainstorm

Age Group: Age 8 and Up, Adults Type: Board/Card Games Price: $ 35 US

PC version requires:
486-33 8 MB RAM, 5 M 2x CD-ROM, Windows 95, also on Windows 3.1; 640x480x256, 640x480xTrue, Mouse, Keyboard, SoundBlaster Compatible, Up to 2 via turns.

Mac version requires:
Version is available.

Description:

The world of chess instruction programs is a small one, especially if you don't count those programs that are primarily chess games but include coaching features, like Chessmaster 5000 and Extreme Chess. Small as it is, the field is dominated by one grand master champion, Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess (to read Cynthia A. Sorrels' review of Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess, click here.). Now onto the checkered battle board steps a new challenger, Chess Mates. Although this challenger tries hard and gives a good account of itself, in the end it winds up checkmated by Master Maurice.

Installation and Interface

Chess Mates installs easily from its Windows 95 autoplay menu, and can be uninstalled from either its own play menu or the Control Panel.

Only one chess board and chess set is included in the game, and the board is always viewed from the same 3D isometric view. Although the view is set so that all the pieces and their possible moves can be fairly easily seen, the absence of a 2D option is a major omission. No matter how well 3D views are executed, the 2D overhead view remains the clearest way to view a chess board on a computer screen.

There probably is only one chess set, because the included set is amusingly animated. In all phases of play, pieces are moved simply by clicking and dragging them where you want them to go. The piece then moves in an animated manner associated with that piece. For example, the queen moves in a haughty, regal walk, while the rook gives the impression of a series of stone layers ponderously shuffling. When a piece is captured, its square opens like a trap door, and the captured piece drops from view, again in a manner specific to that piece. Pawns disappear quickly, while the queen descends slowly, with dignity intact. The effect is similar to Battle Chess without the violence.

Three Modes of Play: Learn, Puzzle, and Play

In Learn mode, Wigby the animated wizard coach takes the beginner successively through the way each piece moves and captures other pieces. Arrows and highlighted squares on the board make the possible moves very clear. Younger children, especially, will find Wigby and his sidekicks Rugby, the magic rug, and Wanda, the magic wand amusing. This is the one area where Chess Mates may have it over Maurice Ashley, since as personable and entertaining as Ashley may be, the youngest kids that Chess Mates is aimed at may be more drawn to its animated style.

In Puzzle mode, Wigby demonstrates basic chess tactics like the Fork and Skewer. Each maneuver is introduced by an amusing animation, which is then followed by several puzzles, each of which must be completed in order, before the player can move on to the next maneuver. Although the introductory animations may entertain the youngest kids, anyone older than age 8 is going to find them a pale substitute for Maurice Ashley's sports analogies, and all but the most tolerant are going to soon tire of Wigby's constant "hmms" and "ahhs."

Play mode is probably Chess Mates' weakest mode. The computer opponent does provide appropriately scaled difficulty levels that range from very easy to a stiff challenge for beginners. Play against a human opponent, however, is poorly implemented. There's no option to flip the board, so one player is going to be stuck viewing the board from the "wrong" side. With no 2D view option, the inability to flip the board severely handicaps one of the players. There is also no provision for modem or network play, so its unlikely that Chess Mates will be any kid's choice for multiplayer games.

The absence of other chess sets and boards also works against the game's longevity. Once a kid has seen all the animations a few times, their novelty wears off. A choice of chess sets and boards would have helped to keep things fresh. Chess Mates does offer about a half dozen different backgrounds, but this option merely superimposes the same board and pieces on a different backdrop, such as a castle or city scape. The effort that went into drawing these backgrounds would have been better spent on a few different chess sets.

In sum, Chess Mates is a good choice as a first chess program for beginners aged 6 to 8. Any older child (and any child who already know the rules of the game), however, is going to be much happier with Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess.

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