The game looks solid enough, with decent graphics, though in the 3D isometric view it can be a little hard moving your pieces as you need to grab them properly to be able to make the move. There is an indicator on the board to show you where the piece is being placed, but this is also relatively hard to see. The 2D view seems much more user friendly as it's much easier to see and move your pieces, though the 2D representation of the chess pieces may have been a little better looking if a symbolic representation of each chess piece had been given instead of a flat image of the whole piece.
I’m no chess master, so really cannot judge whether the game play is good enough as it’s been well over 10 years since I last played a game of chess; though from the limited amount of time I’ve played todays offering, it seems reasonable enough. It is after all an arcade version of the game. Considering I have an electronic chess board (that I bought for my son hoping to inspire him to play the game) that when new cost well over the equivalent of $200, this is great little game.
There's an undo button, a hints button, a 2d/3D toggle and all the information you'd wish to know such as the last few moves and the time each player has taken. At the level I played, the computers time was almost instantaneous, lol. There doesn't appear to be a difficulty setting.
There are several freeware chess programs that can be found in the freeware library, though apart from one all the others appear to be online games only. Watch out for Chess z as when I went to download it (you get the impression that you can) you are taken to an online game that site advisor flashes red. Also, when I tried to install the freeware chess game I was asked to install a chess tool bar in my internet browser. ---No-way--- Though if you don’t mind here’s the link:
Chessboard Game for windows:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/2007/01/16/100-free-chess-board-game-for-windows/
Search for Chess games in the Freeware library:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/search.php?string=Chess&x=56&y=20
Conclusion
It’s playable so I’ll be keeping it, though I am surprised that there isn't a difficulty setting though as all the chess games I've tried previously (eg Green Chess that was given away last year and Chessmaster Challenge) have this facility. I much prefer the 2D view though because it’s easier to make your moves. Perhaps the overall visual quality is too polished and lacks texture. For example the knight almost hides the pawns in front of it as everything seems to blend into the overall color scheme. You’ll see what I mean when you’ve installed it yourselves. There is a link to a help menu that seems to be missing. All I get is a message saying "not for sale outside Holland" ????? also there's no music in the music folder. I did place some MP3's inside of this, but i still got no background music, so it seems to me that this game is still a work in progress.
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More chess games for free
Here are some links to free chess games other than the ones found in the freeware library. The first one is from Gametop, so expect your browser to be opened once you close the game down, but other than that it’s absolutely fine. :
Real Chess:
http://www.gametop.com/download-free-games/chess-download/
There’s a whole host of chess games to be found on Download dot com:
http://www.download.com/3120-20_4.html?qt=Chess&tag=srch&tg=dl-20
And when Green Chess was given away, Game Seeker suggested I download Tom Starkes Pawn via Download.com. Though I also found another chess game that you may want to check out:
Simple Chess plays like a full chess game with a full set of rules, back and forward buttons, and variable level setting. Pawn promotion to any piece, and en passant are catered for.
Simple Chess
http://www.download.com/Simple-Chess/3000-7562_4-10533695.html?tag=lst-0-1
and the one Game Seeker recommended can be downloaded from the following link:
Tom Starkes Pawn
http://www.download.com/Pawn/3000-7562_4-10495650.html?tag=lst-0-1
Tom Starkes Pawn is a freeware chess program with an easy-to-use interface especially for beginners and intermediate players. Playing strength reaches up to club level but can be adjusted in several options. A special beginner’s mode lets the program make mistakes. The game has high-resolution graphics and voice output.
The one from Gametop in my opinion is much easier to play than today’s giveaway Easy chess, though it too has no difficulty settings, though it does have a more traditional chess look to it.
You can see the comments to this game by following the link below:
