Chess++ 3.0.1
Steve Bushell
Freeware

Chess++ is a program written in Symantec C++/TCL 1.1.3 which, as you might guess, plays chess.  It was used as the demo project for the introduction of Symantec's new THINK Project Manager at the World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) in California in early May, 1993.  During that introduction, the project unexpectedly quit, but no one knows why, and no one can reproduce a crash on any machine.  If you can, let me know how you did it!

FEATURES:
Chess++ does in fact play chess, offers different levels of play, and can be great if you're learning to play chess because if you option click on one of your chess pieces, the squares that you can move to will be highlighted.  Chess++ will "think" in the background, and you can alter its degree of "multifinder friendliness".  Take a look at the options dialog and you'll see.  The "Back propagation" option in the dialog is bogus.  Sorry.  Chess++ can show you the current piece it's thinking about, and can optionally beep everytime it finds a better move to make against you.  One other feature which has been in there since the very beginning of the Mac version is a "Tell Time" command.  Like it says, it tells the time, in my voice.  It's a little cheezy, but I couldn't resist leaving it in there.  The about box is kinda neat, and comes in three flavors, which are chosen at random.

LIMITATIONS:
Chess++ is by no means the best chess program around - as a matter of fact, it's far from it.  There is no opening move library, the endgame is rather weak, you still cannot castle or capture en passant, and unless you play on the highest level, it can be pretty easy to beat.  This program is not here to be the best chess program around; it's here only as a demo program for you to look at and
enjoy.  If you're not enjoying it, don't look at it!

     I downloaded this game because I wanted to learn how to play Chess.  Although this game lacks some of the moves that would be available in the official game, I think that I is a good game for beginners or more advanced players who want to improve their skills.  Play is quick and clean and the game can be challenging.  I guess I should tell you that as a beginner I have yet to beat the game on the easy level.

DAVE'S RATING  ***