Product Overview
Now children as young as 6 or 7 can learn all the moves and strategies of an age-old favorite game, chess. This game has an excellent tutorial mode that takes kids step by step through the learning process. Kids are guided by Wigby the wizard, Wanda the magic wand, and Rugby the magic carpet.
There are 3 modes of play:
- Learn: Take a tour of the chess board and learn all the moves and tricks. Pick out any option to learn about each chess piece, the board set-up, and specialty moves/conditions.
- Puzzle: Here you can play mini-games to challenge yourself. Tricky portions of games are set up, and kids can learn all sorts of "tricks of the trade" by working through these brainteasers.
- Play: Play a full chess game against Wigby at up to 10 different skill levels, or play against a friend.
This program uses a menu bar at the top of the screen for accessing the options — adding new players, the mode of play, printing certificates, and quitting the game.
Learn lots of cool tricks and moves, like Castling, en passant, Fork, Pin, and Skewer. You can save and load games in the Play mode. Choose from 7 backgrounds, including things like City, Maze, and Castle. There are plenty of options to choose from in Play mode, including undoing your last move, forcing your computer opponent to move, and exploring by playing around with all the pieces without actually disturbing the game.
There is a Progress Board that shows what lessons a child has learned and the completed puzzles. Kids earn certificates for their efforts, but be aware that you have to win the games fairly (without using things like Take Back or Force Move).
This game has been very successful at teaching my son chess. When he first started to play the program at the age of 7, he really had little knowledge of the game. My son's school math program introduces chess to children starting in grade 2, and we decided to use Chess Mates as a means of orientation to the general rules of the game. He really enjoys it. Don't underestimate the value of learning chess — while playing, kids improve their logical thinking and problem solving skills.
This program doesn't have the bells and whistles that a product like Lego Chess has, but it is comprehensive and enjoyable. There are plenty of programs that provide chess play opportunities, and this one is not necessarily superior for the Play mode itself, but the Learn and Puzzle modes are excellent. Older kids who know how to play the game may not be as pleased with Chess Mates. My 11 year-old relative complained that it took too long for the computer opponent to make a move. However, it simulates a real chess game more closely this way and gives less experienced kids an opportunity to take everything in. The difficulty levels are great — level 10 is quite challenging, surprising this same 11 year old.
Technically Speaking
Minimum requirements for PC users are Win 3.1, 486/33, 8 Mb RAM, 2X CD ROM. Mac users 68030, 8 Mb RAM, System 7.0 or later. With Win 95, AutoPlay is supported.
Skills Covered
reading, vocabulary, spelling, pattern recognition, phonics, proofreading, editing, writing
Educational Value
Excellent educational content. Very effective at teaching the fundamentals of chess, and more advanced techniques as well. Kids are encouraged to experiment and explore and the Learn mode advances at a comfortable pace.
Entertainment Value
Learning to play chess is made quite fun. The characters are humorous (with most jokes being groaners) and helpful.
Design
Lots of on-screen help is provided, and although a menu bar is used for the options, most kids in this age group can use it easily. The challenge level range (10) is broad as well.
Replayability
There's a lot of content here, and the replay value will depend on a child's interest in chess.
Dollar Value
Interplay Software (BrainStorm) sells this game for $10 (click on the link above), and I feel it is definitely worth more than that. We have found ChessMates to be a valuable addition to our software library.
Released: 1996
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