Rating: 
Summary: Innovative and fun. A real winner.
Review: Overall, I give this product two enthusiastic thumbs-up. Its "navagability" is not quite as free-form as many other children's software titles. This might frustrate some older kids, especially those who already know the rules of the game and could get impatient. Probably won't be an issue to most users. My 7-yr-old had already been playing chess for a few weeks and didn't seem to mind very much. I regard this design strategy as kind of a trade-off. Some imposed structure is probably necessary in order to grasp the concepts adequately. She has defnitely improved her skills & awareness by going through what some might call "wordy" (mandatory) modules at the beginning.
We haven't gotten to the most advanced parts of the game yet. Still I can say without hesitation that this is a wonderful product, one especially good to to experience _with_ your child. Some of the built-in games (like smashing the toilets) are clearly a hit with kids. Who would have thought this would also teach you how a bishop moves?
Just a little more flexibility with navigation would have pushed my rating up to 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Best program to teach kids (or anyone) chess!
Review: Purchased this for an energetic 5-year old known as my son!To summarize: King White is feeling a little tired and disinterested (a mysterious malaise that can best be described as boredom or maybe even depression - seriously! Maybe something gets lost in translation, as this game is made by Chessbase, a German company, but marketed here by Viva Media. Maybe he is a victim of "ennui?"), so his queen suggests that they go on vacation. They put their son Fritz in charge for the duration of their absence, and as soon as the king and queen are out the door, Fritz is challenged to a chess duel by the nasty looking King Black. PROBLEM: Fritz doesn't know how to play chess!! Follow Fritz and his cousin Bianca across the kingdom as they play a variety of games in order to learn chess basics. Learn how the pieces move, and learn basic tactics like pins, etc. Piece valuation, how to win, etc. are other topics that are taught. The cool thing is that my son doesn't realize that he is learning! The games are so fun and arcade-like, that he learns how the pieces move without even knowing it. Examples of the games:
1. Sumo wrestlers on a circular board to teach about the king and the concept of "opposition."
2. A Pac-man-like game to teach the horizontal and vertical movement of the rook.
3. A Pong-like game of smashing toilets (no joke!) to get across the concept of the bishop's diagonal movement. After going through all the training sessions, my son was ready to take on King Black. He still gets mostly crushed, but that is because he doesn't spend much time thinking before he makes a move. He has managed wins on the lower setting, but that's because the chess engine plays some of the most horrible moves, like leaving a queen hanging, etc. Highly recommended for youngsters! My son may leave it alone for 3 or 4 weeks at a time, but he always comes back to play the games and to try his hand vs. King Black. Money well spent to teach kids a wonderful game.
Rating:
Summary: Great Family Fun
Review: Thanks to this program my 6 year old son is well on his way to becoming a decent chess player. He expressed interest in chess after watching the first Harry Potter but lacked (aged 4 and 5 at the time) the patience to learn the proper moves. This game does just that with a variety of mini-games which teach those moves while while retaining his interest. The skills taught in this game have easily transferred to the board game which has become a family favorite. He is now the proud owner of his very own chess set (one of his Christmas list wishes). We will be purchasing the second one shortly.
Rating: 
Summary: very okay
Review: This game is wonderful. It tought my 6 and 7 year old to play chess. It has a very fun game like quality.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this NOW!
Review: This software ROCKS! My 7 year-old son LOVES it! It's taught him a lot about chess and helped get (and keep) him interested in the game. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent game for young players
Review: We have had this game for less than a week, and like a previous review, my 8 year-old daughter absolutely loves it. The school my daughter is attending this fall requires all of the children to play chess for 30 minutes or so prior to instruction. I was a little nervous of how to possibly teach her, since I have only played sparingly throughout my life. I know the basic moves, and not much more. Not ever touching a chess piece before, she learned all of the basics of the game in less than 2 days. She played for several hours at a time, and it was hard to get her off the computer. I think the key to games success is that it instructs the player on the pieces, moves and object of the game without seeming like it is teaching. There are multiple mini-games within the actual game that slowly build to a point where the player knows all the moves of an actual game of chess. I will have to update my review after I play through the game myself, because on the first game I played with my daughter, she constantly corrected me.
Rating:
Summary: A standard for children's software
Review: What an awesome program! Fantastic methodology for learning chess. Great story line and animation. First class. Great Christmas gift.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Tool to Introduce Chess to Kids
Review: When it comes to introducing children to the game of chess, this is the best program on the market available to English speaking community. If your child already knows the moves and plays occasionally, this program is Fun, but not as useful. Combination of Arcade-type games & well designed steps introducing chess work real well with children. I have tried this program with several students and it was great in generating their interest and keeping their attention. Of course, for parents who either have no skills, or time, or both, using this program is a must first step in teaching their kids to play chess. Graphics are great, games are fun and teaching approach is good. The program can be improved somewhat:
·Pacman-type game doesn't seem to relate very well to the Rook intro,
·Pinball-type toilet crushing with the ball moving diagonally, is a strange way to introduce the Bishop,
·Emphasizing so much an issue of Opposition, isn't a best for teaching kids about the importance and value of the King,
·Also, there are many conversation, some with humor, but you can't skip them if you wish. Some jokes might be a little offensive.
·Focus on checkmates when introducing pieces as oppose to more common approach - such as visiting squares, attacking and taking pieces.
On the positive side:
·All arcade games are very captivating and will keep your child interested in exploring the game, thus indirectly learning chess,
·Arcade games introducing Queen &, especially, Pawn are very chess related,
·Ability to play a complete games with limited number of pieces is very helpful,
·This is the ONLY tool on the market employing such a unique methodology that will definitely appeal to children. Bottom line - this is a must buy for families with young kids who DO NOT know the rules. For others, consider this game as well as the latest ChessMaster on the market. Good luck!
Copyrighted by me
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