Chessmaster

"Anyone for Chess?"

Introduction As most of you probably know, chess is a game that's been around for a pretty long time. It's a board game that consists of 2 sides (usually white and black), each with 16 pieces (from knights to kings and queens). Basically, you want to get the other person's King in a position from which he can't escape being killed.

Graphics: 9 You don't need good graphics to play chess, but Chessmaster gives you them anyway. This game runs very smoothly and isn't really fuzzy at all. I would give 'graphics' a perfect score of 10 if it wasn't for the camera (you can move it, but not at the most perfect angle... which makes it sort of difficult to tell which piece is which). Other than that, sharp edges, great color, etc. Awesome.

Sound: 8 I've decided to divide 'sound' into 2 different sections just because I really like one and don't really like the other. music This is the part I dislike. I'm not a die-hard fan of jazzy/classical music, and that's what the game gives. The good thing though, with any game, you could turn the volume down :-). Sounds other than Music - Unlike the Super NES's Chessmaster which only had ''dun dun duh dah!'', this game has pretty nice sounds. In Battlefield mode (see gameplay), the swords sound like a Lord of the Rings movie. There's also a guy that says stuff like,''Knight to D4'' for you, incase you didn't see what your opponent moved. Very nice.

Gameplay: 10 - Long story short, it's Chess. There is no story to it. However, this game greatly enhances chess from it's original board game effect. For example: In a mode called ''Battlefield Chess,'' you can be either Knights or Orcs. When your piece moves in to take the other person's piece, it literally runs up to the square, brings out its weapon, and SLASHES its prey (like the Harry Potter movie). That made me smile the first time I saw it. Other features include: Lessons for beginners, training for experts, more than enough chess sets to choose from, rated games, lots of opponents, etc. For more, please read the faqs for this game.

Replay Value: 10 I'll be honest, I love chess. I'd play it anytime anywhere. I guess this value is up for you to decide. You know how much you enjoy chess/want to play chess. This score can be changed easily with someone else, but with all of the game's cool upgrades, the value should be kept high.

Rent or Buy? Considering how much you like chess and the game's price of 20 bucks or lower, I'd say it's a buy (even if you're not sure you like chess that much).

Conclusion Graphics - 9
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 10
Replay Value - 10
Average: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/24/03