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Fritz & Chesster
Chess is one of the oldest games of skill known to man and ChessBase are one of the world's leading companies in the creation of chess programs and the promotion of the game of chess. Excalibur Publishing are very proud to publish Fritz Chess and now bring you three Fritz & Chesster titles, created by Terzio in collaboration with ChessBase. These are very special titles designed to introduce children to chess in a fun way!

Fritz & Chesster: Learn to Play Chess
Fritz and Chesster does not teach chess in the usual way. It does not set up a board and explain how each of the pieces move. Instead it targets children who have never played chess before in their lives and teaches them the basic rules in a friendly and fun cartoon-like environment. There are cartoons and stories for the children to follow, and then there are tasks for them to solve interactively. In short Fritz and Chesster makes chess fun!

Each piece and each rule is explained in a subgame, which you can play against the computer. Many of them are far away from the actual game of chess, but at the same time they give the children full insight into the sometimes daunting rules of the game.

Take for instance the first sequence. Young Prince Fritz has to stand in for a while for his father, King White. Together with his cousin Bianca, Fritz embarks on a journey through their kingdom. On their journey they are joined by Kalaidoscope, a jolly instructor, who tells them all about the kingdom. In each scene the children can click different elements, like mouse traps and funny things happen. It encourages the young users to explore the scenery.

On their trip around the kingdom the three encounter the daunting King Black, who challenges them to a game of chess. But Fritz doesn't know how to play. Thankfully he is able to learn the game on the rest of his trip.

The first lesson comes when they see two sumo wrestlers fighting in a ring. The wrestlers are too fat to approach each other directly, so they always stay at least one square apart. They move around the board blocking each other off.

If they do it properly Fritz and Bianca can push their opponent off the board. After that they try to occupy chairs before their opponent, and while trying to do so the program explains how they can use "opposition" to outwit the opponent. At the end of this lesson the children have learnt everything they need to know about moving the king, including the tactical concept of opposition.

Learning how the rook moves is equally entertaining. In a pacman-like game the children learn to move the rook and avoid capture by the enemy spiders. There are sound effects and high-score lists to keep their attention.

Fritz and Bianca's journey continues where they eventually meet Chesster - the best chess player in the land - who will give them even more training to help them in their bid to defeat King Black in a game of chess!

The stand-alone chess teacher

The principle of Fritz & Chesster is that you can insert the CD into a computer drive, fire up the program and then leave a child alone with it if necessary. After a few weeks the child will come to you and say: "Can we play a game of chess?" they will have learnt all the rules - we are talking about pawn moves, castling rules, promotion, mate, stalemate, everything - and even understand a bit about strategy and tactics.

Naturally you do not need to or indeed should leave your child alone with the program. In fact we have discovered that it is often usually children and their mothers who pick up the game. The fathers usually get hooked on the subgames, battling to keep ahead of the kids!

Systems requirements:
Pentium II 233 processor, 32 MB RAM (16 MB free memory)
16-bit soundblaster compatible sound card, 16 speed CD-ROM drive
Graphics card: resolution 800x600 pixels (16-bit colour), WIN 95/WIN 98/ME/XP
Not running on Japanese, Korean and Chinese Windows Systems.

* Bonus! 1 year free membership of www.PlayChess.com the world's fastest-growing chess server.

For children aged 8 and up...

Fritz & Chesster: Chess in the Black Castle

A sequel to the award winning chess game "Fritz & Chesster: Learn to Play Chess". Where part one concentrated on the rules of chess (e.g. how to move the pieces), Chess in the Black Castle uses the same loveable characters and engaging techniques to teach children chess strategy and tactics (e.g. where to move the pieces). Note: Part one is not needed to enjoy part two however the player should know the rules of chess. This time you join Fritz and Bianca in a thrilling chess adventure as they enter rooms of the Black Castle, where each challenge will help you sharpen skills and prepare for the ultimate showdown. · Sequel to the award winning "Learn to play Chess with Fritz &Chesster" · Powered by Fritz, the world's leading chess software · Learn about tactics and strategy, the opening and endgame · Developed together with experienced children's chess coaches · Over 20 mini games within the game to practice what you've learned Coaching and Training covers: Opening * Basic openings * Bull-head opening * King's Gambit * Fool's mate and scholar's mate Middle game * Attack and protect * The pin * Forks and skewers * Distraction Endgame * Square rule * Key squares And more! * Bonus! 1 year free membership of www.PlayChess.com the world's fastest-growing chess server

System requirements:
Multimedia PC: Pentium II 233 processor, 32 Mb ram (16 Mb free memory), 16 bit soundblaster compatible sound card, 16x speed CD-ROM Drive, Graphics card 800 x 600 (16 bit color), Win 98/ME/XP

For children aged 8 and up...

Fritz & Chesster: Chess for Winners

Fritz and Chesster return for a third time! This unforgettable chess adventure is designed to advance young chess player's skills, move by move. Discover mini-games, brain-twisters and more at every attraction. Pick up chess tips and skills as you ride in bumper cars and the Ferris wheel. Polish up your chess strategy and tactics, opening middle game and endgame and use what you've learned to win. You'll have lots of fun while you learn more about the serious business of playing, and winning, chess! Features: - Introducing the chess clock - Thinking things through - Opening scheme - Tactics: diversion, interruption - Removing the defender - Recognising mates - Types of Chess (blitz chess, capture chess) - Endgame training - Key squares System requirements * Pentium II 233 processor * 32 MB RAM (16 MB free memory) * 16-bit soundblaster compatible sound card * 16 x speed CD-ROM drive * Graphics card: resolution 800 x 600 pixels (16-bit colour) * Win ME/XP And more! * Bonus! 1 year free membership of www.PlayChess.com the world's fastest-growing chess server For children aged 8 and up... Parts 1 and 2 are not required to use Part 3, however it is strongly recommended you already know the rules of chess.