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Well, it's better than gamesmaster!

For Chess fanatics everywhere who feel compelled to take their obsession on buses and other public transport, that little multi-coloured marvel of handheld entertainment comes once again to the rescue. Chess, the game of war, cunning, broken alliances and age old sacrifice for the greater good comes crashing onto the Game Boy Color in a blaze of... erm, squares.

Graphically, the Game Boy has done the best it possibly could, offering its colour palette to the boards and pieces in abundance. There are also a variety of eye twisting pieces to tinker wth, some so bizarrely outlandish it was hard to distinguish between some of the larger icons, a problem that should have been addressed before laid open on the tiny screen they inhabit.

You'll also find after a short period of experimenting you'll settle for the good old familiar shapes rather than the abstract twists and curls unnecessarily added for variety.

As for gameplay, unless you are able to link Game Boys with a friend, it's one player action all the way and with the copiousness of computerised chessmasters willing to give you a good hiding, you'll be entertained for hours.

Chessmaster isn't your expected release for the sugar saturated market for the Game Boy Color caters for, but with the growing number of parents enjoying the delights of the Game Boy, it could sell in a moderate Tetris-like way. Not too bad at all we say, you've just got to have a brain to appreciate it!

Graphics 20%
Simple Chess pieces.

Sound 20%
You don't need sound in Chess!

Playability 80%
It's Chess - what more do you want?

Lastability 80%
Chess has been around forever!

Overall 79%
A perfect, portable game of chess.