Mean Machines
1st July 1991Sega Chess
For centuries people all over the world have played this ancient game of strategy, so it comes as no surprise to find that console chess games are popping up all over the place. Last month we reviewed Chessmaster on the Gameboy and now we have Sega Chess on (oddly enough) the Master System.
The game plays in either overhead or 3D mode, the former being clearer and the latter being more attractive. Of course, all the rules of chess are applied including En Passant and Castling. Options include one or two players, sampled speech, the number of joypads used and the depth of the computer player's thinking if playing solo.
If you have trouble thinking up a good move to make, the computer provide a hint and if you really get stuck any number of moves can be taken back. Also it's possible to force the computer's move to stop it from having too long to think, and if none of that works, and defeat seems inevitable, you can even resort to swapping sides!
Problems, Problems
Speech E-ffects
The speech in the game is simply there to state the obvious. For example, if the player is using playing white and it's his go the machine says, "White move" - very informative! If the computer puts the player in check, the computer conveniently states, "Check". This really helps the kind of gamer who has some kind of vision defect.
Matt
Chess is a great game, and I'm sorry that I don't get the chance to play as often as I would like. This certainly plays a good game of chess and the computer opponent is pretty tough to beat. However the two-player mode is a bit pointless - if you've got a friend to play then why not use a real board? Otherwise this Sega product simply plays the role of a glorified chess computer, with the addition of sampled speech which becomes annoying after a short time. I can't say there's anything much wrong with this, but I don't really see much point to it either.
Rich
Verdict
Presentation 72%
Simple, basic screens show all you need to know.
Graphics 79%
The playing pieces are large and clear even in 3D mode.
The sampled sound is very clever although you'll probably want to turn it off after a while.
Playability 81%
It's chess, and that's as playable now as ever. Two players won't gain much from playing on-screen though.
Lastability 85%
The number of difficulty levels and special modes will keep you going for ages.
Overall 77%
A decent, if expensive, game which is beat recommended to chess fans who have no-one to play against.
Scores
Sega Master System VersionPresentation | 72% |
Graphics | 79% |
Sound | 77% |
Playability | 81% |
Lastability | 85% |
Overall | 77% |