Review by Colin Edmondson

Name:           Chessmaster 5000
Publisher:      Mindscape
Format:         CDROM
Available:      Now

Requires:

O/S:            Windows 95
Processor:      486 DX 66MHz    
RAM:            8Mb (16Mb recommended)
Graphics:       256 colours
CD-Rom:         Double speed
Soundcard:      Any Windows95 supported card (recommended but not 
                essential)
Controls:       Mouse

Tested on:

O/S:            Windows 95
Processor:      200MHz Pentium Pro
RAM:            64Mb
Graphics:       Matrox Millennium (4Mb WRAM)
CD-Rom:         Panasonic 4X
Soundcard:      Soundblaster AWE64

Chessmaster 5000

Ever since the earliest days of computers, it seems we've been trying to play chess with them. There must be thousands of programs around for the purpose - so how do you bring anything new to the party?

I guess most people take the view that you either like and play chess or you don't. My first thoughts before embarking on this review were 'is this a game which will mostly appeal to experienced chess players who probably already have at least one other computer chess game, or is it going to be bought by non chess players and new computer owners?' Actually I think there's plenty here to appeal to both categories but since they'll be looking for different features and functionality, let's approach it from both perspectives but first things first.

Background

Chessmaster 5000 is actually the fifth version of Chessmaster - the original version was Chessmaster 2000 released in 1986 - an 11 year pedigree is both rare and impressive in this industry so it would seem reasonable to assume that this ought to be a polished product by now!

First Impressions

I'm always pleased to see a comprehensive and well written manual and Chessmaster 5000 doesn't disappoint in this respect. Some 90 odd pages are sufficient to cover the extensive features of the game.

It's also good to see in my opinion (although some may disagree) a Windows 95 native game for this type of game - it means you can leave it minimised whilst you slave over your spreadsheet and return periodically to play a move or two when you need a break. Implementation of this seems very good taking advantage of context sensitive right mouse clicks, long filenames and utilising a powerful 32 bit chess engine.

Another thing I was pleased to see is the ability to install the game to your hard drive without the need to reinsert the CD every time you want to play.

The only downside of being a native Windows 95 game is that the DirectX install can screw up your graphics card drivers although in all fairness this is a criticism of Microsoft DirectX not the game itself.

Newcomers

One of the most difficult things with chess is getting started - I remember for some years thinking that I'd like to learn to play, but lacking either the patience or a good tutor to teach me meant that it was a long time before I got into the game. Chessmaster 5000 offers extensive tutorial and assistance facilities - most obvious is the step by step modular chess tutor with lessons starting at basic rules & principles and finishing with advanced strategic themes -each with a few puzzles and challenges to work through yourself which helps to sustain your interest. I thought that some of the other teaching options looked interesting too there's a natural language advice feature which suggests a move, and most importantly explains in laymans language why that move is recommended. There's also a visual teaching facility which according to which mode you select will indicate possible moves, threatened pieces etc Once you actually try your hand at a game you have extensive options to vary the computer opponent you're playing against. This goes way beyond a variable difficulty level - Chessmaster 5000 comes with an extensive range of over 60 'personalities' mostly based on the styles of famous grandmasters and each almost infinitely customisable - you could for example start with a style based on Bobby Fischer and then vary some attributes to create a new custom style. Then you can adjust the strength of play - this feature is as important to an inexperienced player as it is to an expert as it helps to convey the effect of playing against different opponent's styles.

Old Hands & Grand Masters

Mindscape seem very proud of the 32 bit 'Pentium optimised' chess engine at the heart of Chessmaster 5000. It was developed by a Dutch company called TASC and apparently beat 3 grandmasters in a contest in Harvard in 1995. Not being (anywhere near) a player of this sort of standard, I have to take their word for that! It would seem reasonable to assume however, that all but the most exceptional of chess players will find it to be a challenging opponent. One interesting point is that the actual standard of computer opponent play depends to some extent on your computers processor speed and memory.

One of the most impressive features for advanced chess players, is an industrial strength database of 27,000 games - move by move with a powerful query tool. It uses Microsoft Access so some familiarity with that may ease your learning curve with the queries. What can you do with it though? You could search the database to see whether a position similar to your current game is recorded (or just set a position up for the purpose)- and then see how it was resolved by the masters. Alternatively you could search for a particular game or games played by a particular master. At least that's the theory - my own experiences with this feature were less than satisfactory as I couldn't open the database although I understand that there's a patch available which corrects the problem.

The database is also designed to record your own games - so presumably once you've built up a suitable quantity of games you can compare to see if there are any patterns or repeated mistakes and you can get the program to analyse and commentate on your performance move by move. Computer opponents are all very well but even the most advanced AI isn't quite the same as playing against another human being. Here again Chessmaster 5000 scores by providing an impressive variety of ways to play against other people; The simplest option is to use a single computer changing places with your opponent. I couldn't think initially why you might want to do this (rather than use a good old fashioned chess board) but I guess it's handy if you want to build up a database of your games (see above). There's a direct modem play facility to hook up to a remote player. You can connect to another player via a LAN using IPX or TCP winsocks which I guess could also be used across the internet (I haven't tested this). Finally there's a separate free programme to connect to the Chessmaster Network internet site.

Eye (& Ear) Candy

I guess it's basically a matter of personal taste, how you like your chess pieces and chess board to look. Chessmaster 5000 has numerous different sets - traditional and novelty in both 2D and 3D varieties so there's something for everyone. All kinds of sound effects and background music provide further scope to adjust your environment - if you like that sort of thing. Sadly it won't improve your game much but it's a nice touch.

Something For Free

Having an internet site to promote and support a game isn't particularly newsworthy these days - just about all of the larger publishers will have a few pages devoted to a new release - possibly with a downloadable demo to have a go before you invest your hard earned cash. What singles Chessmaster out in this respect is the extent of their site. Check it out on: http://www.chessmasternetwork.com/home.html

Apart from all the usual stuff you'd expect to find, there are a variety of downloadable goodies ranging from windows 95 themes and screensavers to additional chess sets and boards (for those who've already got bored with the wide range included with the game) and a free program to play chess with other people connected to the site.

There are also puzzles, links to other chess related sites, info on chess history and a variety of other bits and pieces.

An impressive site whether you're interested in buying the game or not.

Concerns & Criticisms

It's hard to think of anything much which you might want from a Chess program which isn't here - certainly Mindscape deserve 10 out of 10 for comprehensiveness in their approach to Chessmaster 5000.

Something is clearly amiss with the database which is a pity - I'm sure this is one of the most powerful features for advanced chess players - but the patches available suggest that this has been identified and addressed.

Conclusion

I can't claim to have exhaustively tested chess programs to identify the best around but I'd be surprised if there are many games available which are as comprehensive as Chessmaster 5000. The feature list goes on and on and I couldn't think of any facilities which could have been added but weren't. For a beginner or moderate intermediate, I would wholeheartedly recommend the game - there's plenty here to get you started and plenty of facilities to help you improve and analyse your game. I'd also recommend the game to more advanced chess players, but with a note of caution simply because my own standard of chess isn't adequate to test the AI of Chessmaster 5000.

Worth having - at least until Chessmaster 6000 comes along.

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Rating: 8/10 (Recommended)
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Colin Edmondson for Game Over!