The Edge
£9.95

Back to the old black 'n' white board for another round of the earliest of wargames and today I'm in a medieval Scottish mood so I select my Isle of Lewis set. But what, you ask, is Gwyn doing, reviewing ornate chess men rather than computer games? Read on and all will be revealed.

Psi Chess offers something which is, as far as I know, unique on the Spectrum - alternate chess sets. Not just the standard Staunton set... not just the diagrams found in chess books, there's also the aforementioned Lewis set, with its squat kings and warriors too.

Not that it's the most playable set - the manual admits as much - but it's a novel touch. There's also a Load Set command, so we can expect further options from The Edge, including, I hope, the notorious YS set, with Ed as King, T'zer as Queen and us minions as the pawns!

The graphics are indisputably great. The board is not only seen from a high angle in 3D (which makes it an Ultimate clone, I suppose) but can be viewed from the sides, as well as either end. If you want a sense of being in the action, this is the one. Moving pieces is easy too, with a neat little arrow cursor, though you can go algebraic if you prefer.

That said, there does appear to be a plethora of keys to learn if you want to change the variables. Even aborting a game takes several keystrokes to re-set the clocks and board separately. Personally. I'd have preferred an easier path through the program's facilities.

Blitz games against the clock are catered for, though the timed facilities aren't as wide-ranging as Colossus 4's, and there's no problem solving mode. You can't ask the program for advice either, though there's a beginners' level, which actually makes the Spectrum play badly... a welcome change 'cos computers can play this game exceptionally well and it's disheartening to be thrashed all the time.

In all honesty, I can't comment on how expertly Psi Chess plays compared with its competitors in the computer chess championship, but I'd guess that the memory required for graphics could've taken the edge off some of its strategies. Then again, I could be wrong and most people don't want an invisible opponent, so if you're looking for an attractive game, this is the smartest set in town.

Label: The Edge
Price: £9.95
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, cursor
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Clare Edgeley

With Kasparov and Karpov battling it out in the World Chess Championships the oldest wargame is in the news.

There are several excellent chess programs around and the latest from The Edge is a marvellous and complex affair, suitable for beginners and experts alike. It certainly makes a Karpov-like opponent.

Psi Chess makes no attempt to explain the rules of the game (there are plenty of books which do just that) but the program understands such features as the 50 move rule, underpromotions and castling, as well as having a number of difficulty levels.

Initially what appeals is the way it looks. It's beautiful. You can choose to play in 2D or 3D (there are no attribute problems), orientate the board to look at it from all four sides, and best of all, choose whether to play with the traditional Staunton set or the more ornate isle of Lewis set. The Staunton pieces are easier to see, but both are well depicted. The Edge even has plans to put other chess sets on tape, which can be loaded into the game.

The instructions are long, but easy to understand, and as a rank beginner I found it surprisingly easy to start playing. You're given a choice of how to enter your moves too - from the keyboard or joystick. I found the joystick easier, using the arrow cursor to pinpoint first the piece I wanted to move and then the square it's to jump to. If you prefer you can enter your moves in the conventional manner by typing in abbreviated instructions. For instance, 'pawn to Bishop four' would be expressed as C2-C4.

So the battle begins. In fact, I was no match for the computer even on the beginner's level, much as I enjoyed myself, so armed with a book I switched to A3 (a higher difficulty level where the computer makes use of its stored knowledge of strategies) and tried the opening moves of the Sicilian and French Defences. For the first time I was in a winning position, with the computer making its moves according to the book. Then it decided to change things and within a short time it was Checkmate again.

You can learn from the game too, something I found particularly appealing. If you're a beginner and you try to make a move that would put you into check, the computer throws up 'illegal move' and won't let you make it. that encourages you to study the board to see what would have happened had you made the move.

There is also a facility to check over the last moves you've made by using one of the key modes. (There are three main modes which, with a combination of keys, allow you to use and alter the game's many features. You can then scroll forwards and backwards through you last moves either on the board or in chess notation. If also builds up the game in this algebraic form so you can review all the moves. It would have been useful if your and your opponent's moves were recorded down the side of the screen while play's in progress, that way, you could see at a glance just what your opponent's last moves were. Still, you can always refer back.

A two-player game - rather than one against the computer - is possible and the facility to change the orientation of the board comes in useful at this point... You can also choose whether to play black or white and can even handicap an opponent by allowing him/her less time to make their moves.

There are many other features. You can save games, change Border, ink and Paper colours, and set games up with the pieces in various positions to work out strategies.

Psi Chess will offer a challenging game to club and tournament level players too, and though it may take longer to make its moves, bound by the clock setting, it makes full use of it's preprogrammed knowledge of openings and strategies.

Of course, the game is only as good as its programmer, but Steven Watson is a keen chess player.

I thoroughly enjoyed Psi Chess. Once you've got the hang of which combinations of keys do what, you'll have no problems finding your way round the program. An excellent game.

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: The Edge
PRICE: £9.95

Psi Chess must be the ultimate conversion of this intellectual pursuit.

The program has so many different options that it's impossible to list them all here. It's suitable for the novice and the almost Grand Master, and can be played at arcade game speed or "properly"!

You can play with the joystick or the more straightforward algebraic method where you type in the moves. You can play in 3D mode, or a simpler heads up "newspaper chess" style board. You tan use the regular chess pieces or the classic Lewis carved set - which is extremely attractive, but difficult to play with.

You can rotate the board through 360 degrees, change the skill levels, set times for each move - the list is seemingly endless.

The package includes a comprehensive instruction booklet. Instructions on how to use the software - NOT how to play chess. You'll have to take out specialised books for that.

It's an excellent program lot the beginner and experienced player alike. The beginner is offered facilities like a special skill level and the ability to check back on moves.

The advanced player can alter response times up to congress level, or set up pieces in various positions to play through sat problems or work out game winning strategies.

This is an extremely user friendly program, easy to use and terrific fun to play - even if you've never played chess before. In fact it would be good introduction to the people wanting to learn to play chess.

The only gripe is that it is difficult to play with the Lewis pieces - quite why isn't clear. It's terribly difficult to get the bits to move using the joystick.

NOT ONE BUT TWO EXCELLENT CHESS PROGRAMS HAVE JUST BEEN RELEASED FOR THE SPECTRUM AND BOTH ARE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE IF KASPAROV CHICKENS OUT OF YOUR CHALLENGE MATCH.

The Edge
£9.95

Psi Chess features the sort of 3-D Chess graphics that previously have only been seen by Sinclair owners on QL Chess from Psion. Not content with depicting the usual Staunton pieces, programmer Steven Watson has also included a set of 3D Lewis chess pieces. These are medieval pieces depicting the King, Queen and other pieces as real figures. When seen on the Spectrum they look like refugees from an adventure game and add an extra element of novelty to the program.

Both 3-D sets are well defined with little confusion between pieces even in crowded areas of the board. Psi-Chess benefits from a full screen board display with only the time clocks and the present mode display as added detail.

Psi Chess is undeniably the most attractive looking chess program available for the Spectrum but, can it play? The answer is yes and although there are more powerful chess programs around it will certainly provide a stern test for even accomplished players.

JOYSTICK CHESS

The operating system takes a little getting used to as it's based around three pivotal modes "Scoresheet, Position and Game". It can be a bit fiddly finding your way around and some basic commands take time to set up. For instance there is no instant restart to a game - if you want revenge you must press I for change mode, P and 1 together and the board resets. But to restart you must press I once more and then M and 1. If you are using a joystick this must also be selected again before a new game.

Joystick control can be a bit sensitive too. Unless you hit the piece that you want to move dead centre it can fail to "pick up" and you have to try again.

Psi Chess has a wide selection of levels and the lowest of these (the quickest) is instant response. This is so fast that it can take you several seconds scanning the board. I did manage to take a game off Psi Chess on level 2 (with no take backs, honest!) but such is the seemingly omnipotent nature of computer games that I didn't quite believe it. A very smooth replay facility allowed me to wallow in the glory of victory by reshowing the game from start to finish.

This is a very accomplished package that comes complete with an informative 15 page manual. The emphasis on the graphic side can be seen from The Edge's intention to produce alternative 3-D chess sets that will be sold separately from Psi Chess but can be incorporated by replacing the Lewis figures in the program's memory.

As exasperating as any good chess program should be, Psi Chess also allows you to savour the view as you slide towards ignominious defeat. A must for any Spectrum chess fanatic.