mxdx .?i)iiy$1$jp - Bombjack.org

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CHESSMATE
Dark Horse
Box 36162
Greensboro NC 27416
•••
Chessmate is a respectable chess
program which is written in ABasiC
(you will need your Extras disk), and
has a fair assortment of features and
play levels. If it were the only chess
program available, it would be easy to
recommend. Features include: 1 or 2
players, synthetic speech options,
manual board settup, 3-D view (shown),
seven difficulty levels, computersuggested
moves, and saving of games.
Colors are fixed (boo). Response times
range from .5 seconds (easiest level) to
1 hour. The only reason not to buy
Chessmate is pictured to its right.-BD
DIABLO
Classic Image
510 Rhode Island Ave.
Cherry Hill NJ 08002
•••• +
This game is very simple, really. You
slide pieces of track in front of a
moving ball, and as it passes over a
section of track, the track disappears.
You just have to keep the ball rolling
until all the track is gone. The graphics
are simple but effective, the sound and
music are very nice, and the mouse
interface is easy to use. It's also so
maddeningly addictive that it could
earn you a one-way ticket to the
tunny farm. I spent about 1000 hours
researching' Diablo for this review. I
didn t mean to. It's aptly named. -MB
QUINTETTE
Miles Computing
7741 Alabama Ave. Suite 2
Canoga Park CA 91304
•••*+
This computerized boardeame is
similar to Pente. Placing five stones in
dai5i
very long time to make a mnv/*
(overnight at the highest levelh Thk
game is enhanced8 by excellent
graphics, very nice sound effects and
Tots of options. Very addictive '-MB
1 90 1 -
CHESSMASTER 2000
Electronic Arts /
Software Toolworks
1820 Gateway Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94404
This is the definitive chess program for
the AMIGA, and (like a good physical
chess set) is a pleasure to look at and
'handle' as well. Absolutely loaded
with options including: user-variable
colors, chess clock game analysis,
speech, music, board coordinates, set
ups, takebacks, replay, 2D or 3D
display, suggest moves, and lots more.
Response times from 5 seconds to 100
hours depending on play depth. My
favorite feature is the teaching mode
which shows all of the legal squares a
piece can move to or capture on by
simply touching the piece. -BD
MARBLE MADNESS
Electronic Arts
1820 Gateway Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94404
A totally faithful adaptation of the
very popular (Atari!) arcade game. One
or two players attempt to negotiate the
outrageous mazes and traps which lurk
upon the marbles' path (I especially like
V}e, rS9°,.ve-rs)- Tne only Problem with
MARBLE, is that without the inhibiting
effect of the coin slot, you will
eventually master the mazes, and have
to find something to do with the rest of
your life (tho I have heard there is a
hidden screen). Our only hope is that
someone, somewhere, may be working
(at this very moment) on . MARBLE
MADNESS n !!! _BD
SHANGHAI
Activision
2350 Bayshore Frontage Rd.
Mountain View, CA 94043
****+
This game ought to be illegal. It is
impossible to play 'just one game'
Based on the ancient oriental game of
Mah-Jonge, play is swift and
deceptivery simple; the deeper into the
game you get, the more strategy is
Shfv.ed< ^ variety, of single, rfiultiplayer
and. ore-designed layouts are
available. The graphics are W, with
the layers of tiles indicated by the
shadows they cast. If you can manage
to win the game by removing all the
tiles irom the screen you get a surprise.
Plan on spending a LOT of time with
mis one. -TM