PSP Chessmaster 11 The Art of Learning and Sealed

Chess is one of my favorite games of all time, even though it can be extremely frustrating. I used to play with a couple of friends at a local coffeehouse, and we even had a few rounds of it in one of our favorite sportsbars. Its amazing how many drunks like this game, and some feel that a few beers may enhance your potential with it. This game has been around for a long time, and some think of it as a way of seeing who's IQ is higher, but I'm not so sure about that. It is definetly a thinking person's game, and due to having to plan out moves in the future, it does strain your cerebral cortex in numerous ways. As I learned in one night of online chess, when I got owned by a University of California Berkeley engineering student, it can be a game that humbles you.

When you think of Chess, the first person that usually comes to mind is Gary Kasparov. He is famous for his championships, and battles against computers, and is now known for being a pain to Vlad Putin and his henchmen in Russia. There have been a lot of chess based games for computers and video game systems, and none have had a lot of success, as they are niche based. However, Chessmaster has released several titles on pc's and consoles, and is the leader of these types of games. The PSP version of Chessmaster:Art of Learning was released in 2007, and produced by Ubisoft. It can be found for a reasonable price of around $15-$25 from videogame stores, although it can be difficult to find, due to the limited amount of interest.

This video game succeeds on a fair amount of levels, but where it is an ultimate winner, is introducing this game to new users. In the Classic Games area of the game, you can go to the Learn Chess area. There is a introduction tutorial, along with what to expect from the chessboard, the pieces, and some tactics advice. This is a big help to someone that never had the chance to be taught the game with the traditional board, and even though I've played it a lot this way, I did go through this area to refresh my knowledge. Chess is intimidating to many people, who would rather play something simple, like Checkers. However, this video game shows the differences between pawns, bishops, rooks, knights, kings, and queens in such a way, that it is easy to understand.

The practice game is a fine way to start out, and as your opponents are higher rating, it can be difficult to get anywhere near a checkmate situation. The characters face images look like they were from one of the 1980's versions of the game, but it doesn't take away from the experience, as once you get to the board, its all about gameplay anyway. In the practice version, there are no time limits if you desire this option, although the load time makes you wish for a limit on that. It takes a while for it to load, but once it does the board looks really good graphics wise. Your character is on the left side of the screen as a facial image, and your opponent is on the right. Of course, before the game you can pick if you want to have the white or black pieces.

In this practice mode, you can take a move back. This is great if you are getting destroyed early, so that you can continue your education on how moves can affect you so quickly. There is also a quick hint option, that you can use all the time for an easy victory, which is cheap. However, there are times for newer users where this can be used occasionally, and it can be a big help for someone learning the curve. The chess board is easy to see, and being able to figure out which piece is what, is greatly improved here compared to previous chess based video games. A lot of chess games on consoles can make it hard to be able to distinguish the king and queen, but not in this one.

Of course, once you get the games rules down, the fun begins. You can play opponents based upon difficulty, and this is where it can be exciting or infuriating. Although you can save the game to continue later, I have never been able to, since I'm always so engrossed in the action. This is just like the real thing, and due to the beauty of the graphics here, I don't think I'll be picking up a real chessboard anytime soon. The artificial intelligence of this game is incredible, and as you progress to difficult opponents, it picks up on some of your tendencies and makes winning that much more difficult. This is as real as it gets, and I have almost thrown my PSP in anger, before realizing that would be throwing away almost two hundred dollars. However, it makes winning that much more satisfying, and this will keep your brain up and running like no other video game I've played.

There are also mini-games, and my favorite one is fork my fruit. These games help that part of your brain that is needed for chess, with challenges that are going to improve your ability. The fork your fruit mini-game is like chess, in that you move pieces to throw that table tool into the fruits for a higher score. Each of the minigames are based upon making the best possible of strategic movements, so that you will get a higher score. Although most of the minigames are a fun diversion, I wasn't that thrilled with masterpiece, where chess moves you make can paint a picture. It seems a bit silly to me, but some may find this at least worth a laugh, so it does have potential.

This is one of the best games for PSP, if you are passionate about chess. However, those that aren't thrilled by this game, may find it to be a bit limited since you can't shoot aliens or throw a fifty yard hail mary pass. My only real complaints about it are the load times, and the music that is in the menu section. This music sounds like the elevator variety, with its laid back piano and chimes that could make anyone turn postal at the drop of a hat. However, this is easily avoided by going to one of the games. You can't go wrong with this version of console chess, because it is the best one yet, and it has a lot of replay value to those who enjoy this type of competition.