As far as I'm concerned, no home computer should be without a chess program, but cost may be a deterrent to some would-be Karpovs. Attempting to fill a gap at the low-cost end of the market is this no-frills chess-playing program from Mastertronic.

Available for the Atari 800 and 130 series, Master Chess offers you the game, plain and simple. Given the price, you won't be surprised to hear that it has few of the extras you'll find on more expensive offerings.

The grey and green chessboard fills the left two-thirds of the screen while the remainder is used for entering your move and for the computer's messages.

You input your moves using standard algebraic notation via the keybord, so typing E2 E4 moves your king's pawn forward two squares. The black and white pieces are clear and easily identifiable.

At the start of a game you are asked whether you want to play black or white, then you set the skill level by entering the number of seconds allowed for the computer's thinking time.

There are several options available from a separate screen, reached by pressing Return when it is your turn to move. From here, you can reset the skill level, set up or rearrange the board (useful for taking back mistakes or bad moves), have an action replay of a game, and load, save or play a new game.

The last six moves for both sides are listed on the options creen, along with a pictorial representation of all pieces that have been captured.

The program does not appear to have an openings book and can make some very strange moves on the lower response settings.

If you just want a cheap program to play against and one which is fairly easy to beat, this could be just the ticket.

For any serious chess player or as a better long term investment, I would advise you to save your pennies for a far more sophisticated program, such as Colossus which, although more expensive, offers far better value for money.