Previous Next

It's not often Psion release a game for any machine, let alone the ST, so when they do one expects something a little special. Psion Chess does not disappoint!

Psion were the first company to release a chess game with 3D graphics when they launched QL chess to astonished gasps from every quarter of the industry. Unfortunately, as it turned out, Sir Clive's baby didn't do too well so a masterful piece of programming was enjoyed by precious few.

But you can't keep a good game down and Psion Chess has resurfaced on the ST, faster and stronger than ever.

Written by Richard Lang, the program will give anyone from novice to strong club player a cracking game, and with 28 levels of play to choose from you should be able to find a standard to suit you.

There are two things about this program apart from its playing strength that make it stand out head and shoulders above the rest. The quality and clarity of the graphics and the ease of use.

Whether you play on the 3D board or elect to use the smaller 2D one, the design of the pieces in both colour and monochrome modes is clear and unlikely to lead to the confusion between different pieces sometimes encountered with lesser products.

In fact, playing in 3D mode, you quickly forget you're playing on a screen so realistic is the portrayal of the game. If you are lucky enough to have a choice, the monochrome version, with double the resolution, is recommended.

Once the game has loaded you are given control of the standard gem cursor. Just click the cursor over the piece you wish to move and you now have control of that piece with the mouse.

Having placed the piece on the desired square simply click a second time to complete the move.

When the computer makes a move the relevant piece is smoothly moved to its new square as if being pulled by a magnet from under the board. When you select a new game, each piece neatly slides on to its respective starting position ready for battle to begin.

Even at the default playing level of fifteen seconds per move, Chess will give all but the Club players a reasonable game. At thirty seconds or 1 minute per move the computer becomes a worthy opponent, even for a good club player.

Psion Chess has all the features one would expect to find in a product of this type, including clocks, board set up, take back move, offer draw, etc.

As if all the features this program offers weren't enough there are also fifty famous games selected from the past 150 years by international master, William Hartson, who has also written a short companion to the games he has chosen.

This is where the package could have been better. The beauty and subtlety of some of the moves in these games may be lost on many people who would have benefitted greatly from a fuller commentary on each game, highlighting specific moves and explaining why they were made.

This niggle aside, Psion Chess is arguably the strongest and definitely the most friendly chess program around at the moment and is highly recommended.