This is an excellent version of the classic board game. The board and pieces are shown in high resolution graphics with the program being written almost entirely in machine code.

There are ten different levels of play although unfortunately there is no indication of which is the hardest. The cassette inlay boasts that level two will beat the user, and indeed the computer wins more often than not at that level.

Response time at the lower levels is about four seconds but at level nine it can take fifteen minutes between moves. Therefore I would advise people to play only at level 0-2.

As with most chess programs on the market, the colours of the board and pieces can be changed to suit personal taste. I found red and cyan pieces on a black and white board were best.

The computer will recommend a move if you are stick and more often than not I have found this a very useful asset.

The last twelve or so moves are displayed on the left of the screen but unfortunately there is no way to save these except to write each move down.

There are also a number of other options available: you can save a game halfway through and then play again when you feel like it, you can transfer the contents of the screen to an attached printer or you can set the board up to analyse problems and situations.

Altogether, for just £7.95, this program is surely one of the best programs available for the Spectrum.