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The strength of a good computerised chess game is how much you can learn from it. It should be like having a chess club sait in your living room, the members of which can stretch your playing technique and offer advice on how to improve your game.
Chess Champion 2175, the successor to Chess Player 2150 (winner of the 1989 British Open Microcomputer Chess Championship), sets about living up to its 2000+ ELO rating (that's a very high level of chess-playing ability) with an impressive bunch of options.
The game can be viewed from either overhead or in perspective, the angle of which can be shifted around to suit, while any of five sets of playing pieces are available. As with all gimmick sets, however, you'll probably ignore the more esoteric pieces in favour of good old Staunton (the standard piece design which you should all be familiar with.

Beginners are catered for by a series of 10 ape-brained opponents, against whom the game's coarser points can be learned, though progressively more difficult levels of play can be accessed as your confidence grows. The tutorial functions are numerous, enabling you to replay moves, take pieces back and try again or even swap sides and see how the computer deals with your hopelessly untenable position. There's also a hint mode available at certain levels of play which offers you a suggested move.

The game's mouse-only control is intuitive, its apparent depth – we're talking a huge library of opening moves here – is awesome and the level of tutoring offered is comprehensive. I'm no expert at chess, but after a short time playing I found the urge to learn more – and beat the rather, smug, silent facade of this digital grandmaster – rather strong. It may be that after playing the latest all-bells-and-whistles platform-'em-up, chess seems like far too stuffy a way to pass the evening. Your mistake - Chess Champ offers a level of brain burn you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, even down at the local chess club.
KARL FOSTER