GameSpot GameFAQs MP3.com TV.com ... Hoyle Majestic Chess Publisher: VU Games Developer: Fluent Genre: Puzzle Release Date: GameSpace Review Previews News Downloads Movies Cheats Check Prices
Difficulty:
Easy Learning Curve:
about a half hour Stability:
stable Version:
retail GameSpot Score good About Our Rating System Gameplay Graphics Sound Value Tilt
Requirements: 128 MB RAM, 16 MB VRAM, DirectX v8.1. More Tech Information »
How do you market a new PC chess program? Chess is chess, and today's programs are all powerful enough to defeat anyone below the level of grandmaster, so the only means by which a publisher can differentiate a new chess offering is in the bells and whistles. While others try to provide every feature imaginable for every level of player, Hoyle Majestic Chess focuses on those new to the game, and it features a fun and innovative way to learn how to play chess.
The natural-language advisor is great for explaining what to do next and why. If you prefer the challenge and unpredictability of a human opponent, you can use Majestic Chess' online mode. When we checked the multiplayer server on a weekend, there were only a few players online; however, the game has only been on store shelves for about two weeks. Online play offers few frills, but the basics (such as chat, setting the game-timer options, challenging a player to a game, and actual gameplay) work as advertised. Majestic Chess' strengths and weaknesses become obvious once you get past the standard chess play features. It is clearly not targeted at serious players, nor at those who need a chess program for study purposes or tournament preparation. There are no database functions, which are customary in most programs. While other chess programs now come standard with hundreds of annotated historical games, an excellent resource for any player wanting to both improve and study the styles of past masters, only a dozen annotated historic games are included here. You can watch the AI 'thinking' in an optional window, and the natural-language 'advice' function is as good as or better than that in any other chess program, but there's no true analysis mode available. In short, if you're a moderate-to-good player looking for serious study tools, you should be looking elsewhere, such as Fritz 8 (or Chessmaster 9000 if you want a more mass-market package). | |
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