DEEP BLUE HERE I COME:
A Review of Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess
by Istvan Urcuyo
I admit it. I am not the world's chess champion. But, thanks to my friend Maurice (I feel like I really know him), I can say that I am now a much better chess player. Maurice Ashley is an internationally renowned chess player and mentor. His unique teaching methods, which include the constant use of insightful sport analogies, quickly lure you into the other side of chess. The side where nothing is more important than the individual strengths and weaknesses of your board pieces. A world where everything lives or dies based on the choices that you make.
With the now standard set up "wizards" installation is a snap. However, a full installation will take an 18Mb chunk out of your hard drive. Although it takes a few seconds for the program to load up, all its graphics are super VGA at a resolution of 640 x 480 with 256+ colors. The main menu is intuitive and self explanatory, the same also holds true for the rest of the game's interface. There is really no chance for you to get lost or frustrated since the main menu is always one mouse click away. The production team made a nice job in the auditory department as well. Sounds effects are high quality and tightly synchronized with the original colorful animations. There are no compromises on the quality, or performance, of the video segments.
This title is designed for the beginner and the intermediate players. At first, the program may appear to be targeted to the young audience, that much is certainly true, but young and adult alike will be captivated and entertained by Maurice's explanations and contagious excitement. He employs multimedia elements such as video, music, sounds, animation and interactive challenges to guide any future champions from the basic moves all the way up to the Grandmaster games. Folks, this program is an excellent example of what a multimedia edutainment title should be . The ten selected master games, which include the 1985 Karpov vs. Kasparov World Championship match, are carefully analyzed with a 'video chalkboard' technology, on-screen VCR buttons and a play-by-play commentary by Maurice which is both entertaining and educational. Along the way you will learn the inner strengths of the rooks, the savage nature of the Bishops and the majesty of the Queen. This software is a complete learning experience. It even contains a full fledge chess engine that will challenge, and sharpen, your recently learned skills.
The chess engine is extremely challenging and customizable. You can play against the computer or against your best friend. You may chose to alter the play skill level, tournament clock, show move hints or change the board pieces to one of the five 3-D rendered chess board themes. I personally like the Totem Pole ambiance. If you think you already know how to play chess, pay close attention to Maurice's video coaching style and I am sure that you will never look at chess in the same manner. If you realize that you really didn't know as much about chess as you previously thought then Championship Training is for you (and me). This is where Maurice has a personal training schedule ready for you. You enter your name and the training program will automatically keep up with your personal progress through the three skill levels. When you have finished the exercises, you will be amazed at the new chess skills that you have acquired.
This title is so well executed that even the on-line help file is a well designed reference source: it includes a chess glossary, chess rules and a resource list. If you are like me,with a very basic knowledge of chess, you are bound to benefit greatly from this particular title. And even if you have never been interested in chess you should probably check it out because, now it's a good time to learn. Deep Blue, take your best shot.
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess |
| Company: |
Davidson & Associates, Inc.
|
| Cost: |
n/a |
System Requirements:
486/33 MHz or faster
Windows 3.1 +
8 MB RAM
1 MB free HD space
2X CD-ROM
SVGA
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 5
Graphics 5
Sound 4
Interface 5
Replayability 5
Overall Score:
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