Making the game of chess child's play is not entirely
easy, but this new game succeeds admirably. While there are plenty of chess software
games on the market, Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster fills
a gap in children's software with its focus on instructions and games for true
beginners. Instead of jumping right into chess instruction, this CD-ROM engages
children from the start with a story line and simple mini-games that introduce
chess basics before moving ahead to explicit chess "training".
This charming animated adventure is set in a small country ruled by a wise
king, King White. The king and queen are going to the seaside for a few days,
allowing their son, Fritz, and Fritz's cousin, Bianca, stand in as king and
queen during their absence. The evil King Black sees this as an opportunity
to challenge the stand-in king to a chess duel. No one has beaten King Black
for years, so Fritz and Bianca set out to train for the big event.
Children guide Fritz and Bianca around the castle grounds before they begin
their "brain training" at the Intelligym. They meet King Kaleidoscope, who offers
players some helpful hints as they play a series of mini-games. These games
introduce children to basic chess concepts and moves. A game of Sumo wrestlers,
for example, introduces children to the accepted movements of the King. An especially
clever mini-game involves moving horses through a course. The horses can only
move two spaces forward and one to the side (as can a knight), and children
must move the horse through the course in as few steps as possible.
After players arrive at the Intelligym, they begin their training, one chess
piece at a time. They learn about move and capture rules for the king, queen,
rooks, and so forth. Children learn terms such as "stalemate" and "opposition"
as they put their newfound skills to practice in mini chess puzzles. Success
in these practice "training sessions" is necessary in order to advance to the
next step.
We are especially pleased with the game's logical, step-by-step progression.
Only when the game deems players "ready" will they take on King Black in the
chess duel. Opportunities to practice and helpful tips are ample. The training
games are clever and give children's thinking skills a workout. For example,
although a stalemate is not desirable, children are asked to get themselves
into a stalemate position in one training session, which helps to exercise the
brain and demonstrate the difference between a stalemate (draw) and checkmate
(win).
The story line is charming, and cute banter between the characters helps to
keep the game from feeling overly instructional. The inability to interrupt
sequences can make the game feel a little slow-moving at times, but the CD-ROM
is quite pleasant overall. Children who are already familiar with, and passionate
about, the game of chess will find a program like Chessmaster
9000 more appropriate and rewarding. However, Learn to Play Chess with
Fritz and Chesster makes an excellent introductory software that will motivate
children to want to play this revered game.
The program comes with free access to the Playchess.com web site, where players
can participate in games and chess training, for one year.
