The graphics are excellent for a game over 10 years old. The PC Speaker sound is excellent considering the limitations of the old PC Speaker. As for gameplay, it plays like any other Chess game. If you're a Chess expert, you're an expert at this game too before you even play it. However, it is very violent, not recommended for kids or those who would be offended by violence.
I recommend getting a different Chess game since there are lots of them out there. This game is extremely violent. Besides that, if you just like to play chess, overtaking the pieces etc. takes to long to be awake.
Reviewer: LeonMaxwell Battle Chess is possibly one of the best games ever for the PC in the old days. It's chess, but there's a nice little twist to it. Pieces will fight each other to gain their spot; queens will cast their spells to get their way, king’s use any backstabbing (sometimes literally) techniques, and the incredible rock monsters known as the rooks will duke it out with each other using their fists, or consuming some of the other players!
To add it off, this game, for those who remember the lovely black CD from the old days, came with a good variety of demos to play, as well as to watch. If you've ever wanted to play chess without the boredom that can come attached, this one is for you. You can play it by yourself (and trust me, that computer is GOOD on a number of occasions), or you can play against a friend. Set up the board however you want, or play the traditional way, it's all up to you! Bad at chess? Set yourself up with a side full of queens and a king! A master? Go for the knights, bishops, or pawn sets!
One thing that was pretty neat about this game was that you're not White Vs. Black, unless you go into their feature of an actual chess board (which, if you want to play battle chess minus the violence, that's how). Instead, if you're playing the actual game mode, one team is red, and one is blue.
Did I mention how well the sound and music was for a game of the 1988 time-zone? Every piece type for each side has a different song that's played for them (IE: the red pawn theme and blue pawn theme are completely different, as are the red pawn and red rook themes). The sounds, my god, very realistic, along with actual voices used for the pieces' expressions. You know when the pawns feel pain after getting beaten by a knight, because they'll let out a good old realistic scream.
All in all, this game really was ahead of it's time. It was released in 1988, but in all honestly, this game would, and most likely is, considered exceptional all the way up to 95. Or for some die-hard old school gamers, it's still a popular one today. What other chess games do you know of that you can not only play strategically against your friends, but with added effects as well?
