| Great Program that could use an update |
I purchased this program about three months ago because my children had expressed an interest in learning how to play chess. Since then my two older children (9 and 7) have completed the program from start to finish. (Although I already knew how to play chess, I also played the game from beginning to end as I do with all software that enters our home.)
The program introduces chess in a stepwise fashion within the framework of a story involving protagonists (Fritz, Chesster, and Bianca) and their rival the King Black. At each stage, learning is reinforced with a series of rewards and intermediate goals. These rewards keep children enthusiastic and motivated through what can be a very lengthy learning process.
The game starts by using a series of games to introduce the movement of the pieces. The heart of the game, however, is a series of training activities that reinforce different tactics and ideas in chess. The activities are challenging for beginners without being frustratingly difficult. My children were, for the most part, able to use the program independently, although in one or two places I had to sit and coach my 7-year-old. The 9-year-old completed the entire program in about 2 days, and my younger child took about a week. Even when completed, the program is not useless. The game serves as a chess program with levels of play ranging from very easy, to extremely hard. At the highest level, I suspect Chesster would beat the pants off even some of the most experienced players. If your child has more than a rudimentary understanding of chess, however, you probably would be best purchasing the second in this series instead.
Referring to previous reviews, I am uncertain why other users found the program confusing and difficult to use. Yes, it is true that there is no manual included with the program, but I did not need one. I found the program to be intuitive, and even my three-year-old can load and play the program without assistance.
As mentioned in other reviews, the graphics ARE simple. But, my children found the story engaging, and were amused by the characters. I found the interface to be clean, attractive, and appropriate for the purpose. The animation is storybook in style, and is simple enough so that the program is not a CPU-eating monster like some other graphics-heavy versions of chess.
A few users mentioned that they disliked the chess pieces being represented as cartoon characters. I believe they are unaware that you can toggle between "regular" pieces and the character pieces at any point during the game. My son prefers to use the game with the standard pieces, and my daughter likes the cartoons. This has not stopped either of them from understanding what the "regular" pieces look like.
There are a few drawbacks. The game starts by introducing the movement of the pieces with a series of strange arcade games. My children didn't really seem to connect these games to the movement of the pieces. (What does smashing toilets have to do with moving a bishop anyway??) I also found some of the dialog between the characters to be bordering on offensive, and some of the jokes to be inappropriate for the age level (for example, referring to a group of Queens as a harem). Bianca asks far too many idiotic questions, and giggles way too much for my taste. She also says things like "This is so overwhelimg" in a tone of voice that reminds me of the brainless barbie dolls of years past. (Although some may not see this as sexist, I wonder why the male character doesn't do much giggling??) Still, these are minor annoyances.
Overall, I think this is a superb way to introduce children to the game of chess. Both my older children learned in a week or less, and are anxious to learn more. What else could you ask for in an educational program? |
4 Rating
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