Sega Chess review - Sega Master System

Chess is a great game, and I'm sorry that I don't get the chance to play it 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.

My interest in chess was recently re-kindled by the release of Chessmaster on the Gameboy. But even though this Sega chess game has some clear, well-defined graphics and interesting sonic touches, I don't think it has enough to warrant the massive price tag. It's not that the game is particularly bad, nor is the computer opponent a poor player, it's just that beating it simply isn't as much fun as a battle of strategies with a real human being, and using a console to reproduce a game that is far better played with another person and a five quid chess set seems a bit pointless. Solo chess maniacs will no doubt enjoy this game no end, especially with all the special modes, but those who want to really enjoy chess will buy a decent board and save the rest of their dosh for something else.