Price:	$14.95		Reviewed by:	Shaun McGill
Supplied:	Mastersoft Mobile Solutions		Review date:	27/08/2005
Pros	Simple interface Customisation options Excellent AI		Cons:	Would like to see a true 3D game board

First Impressions Chess is a game which has stumped me for many years. I was the kid in class on the last day of term wanting to play Draughts (Checkers) while the rest of the class was playing Chess and looking intelligent. I'm the one who owns countless Chess books but who is too impatient to play the game properly and to think ahead enough to play at anything above novice level. I'm jealous of people who can play the game really well and don't dare challenge a real human being to a game as I know I will lose, and lose badly. This would not bother the average person but when you are good at everything else and highly intelligent it's a strange feeling (I'm modest too:)) There are quite a few Chess games available for the Pocket PC, some of which look fantastic in 3D like Kasparov Chess and others which claim countless features and in built intelligence to rival the super blue computer! What I need is a fairly simple looking Chess game but one with features that will help improve the way I play and Mastersoft's Chess caught my attention. The price is good at only $14.95 and I even spent my own money on this one after a few plays (rather than ask for a review copy).   The game There's something strange about PDA Chess games in that they either feel right for the individual or alien and get in the way of the game play. This version felt just right to me. The graphics are very clean and clear with a few customisation options including  3 different chess sets, 9 chess boards and the level of animation you want to see from fast to off. Some of the chess sets are 3D but the board is still flat. This is a nice option but personally I would prefer to see the board rendered in a 3D manner as well. Having said that for me there is nothing better than a flat board (which this obviously includes). The 'Chess coach' is an excellent feature. It lets you know when you are about to make a bad move but does not suggest the best move (at least I didn't find that feature). This is good because it forces you to think about what you are going to do next and more importantly 'why' you are doing it. If you really must go for the easy way out then the 'hint' feature will do a 5 second search and come up with something for you. Within the interface you get all of the moves listed at the bottom in standard notation as well as a small menu bar at the bottom which includes 'take move back' (I use that a lot:)), help, board rotation, help and various options. This is part of the beauty of the game- an uncluttered interface makes for an uncluttered mind when playing the game (OK, bad cliche). Conclusions It's difficult to write a long review of a Chess game because you all know what the game is but I have found Mastersoft Chess to be one of the best of it's kind. Simple to look at, difficult to play yet it gets under your skin and I have found myself coming back to it time and time again. It's easily worth under $15 and will be staying on my PDA for a long time to come...