Customer Reviews
Absolutely Terrible 
2007-08-03
This is, without a doubt, by far, the worse software I have ever seen. Perhaps the software had a malfunction, but there was no help key, and no means by which to go from window to another. After 2 hours, we gave up. We had to play a sumo wrestling game, a pac-man type game with a witch, but no chess. This was a chess software program and it was terrible. We never learned one thing about chess. It was ridiculous. My kids much prefer Lego chess to this.
Great art and quirky sensibility 
2007-01-21
My four-year-old son loved the first Fritz and Chesster so much I just had to get the second. I would have gotten the third installment as well, but it appears to require a DVD-Rom and more up-to-date software than he has on his computer (I suggest you always review those details before buying). Like the first, this second installment has the same quirky and artistic sensibility and lots of amusing details that keep me as interested in it as he is.
The first one seemed a lot more "British" than this one. Just one example: in the first installment, the pawns are often depicted as English villagers with low-brow accents. In this installment they are more often Texas ranchers... There were also numerous Britishisms in the first installment that were tough to understand for a child. This one is thankfully free of them. I suppose the American audience proved more lucrative than the original designers had expected....
I think the suggested age is more 6-or-above (they really should be able to read, I suppose), but with a little help even a younger child (such as my son) can get into most of the exercises and spend time with it. There are several more advanced features in this one than in the first installment. Here the focus is on basic tactics, openings, and endgame situations. So a child should really have made it through the first one before getting this. He absolutely has to know all the rules, for instance -- the second installment is not going to teach them. The first also has some wonderful exercises with just pawns or kings on the board, for instance, that have much to teach. And some fun games like a maze with a monster chasing you (to teach the rook moves) or a cannon that fires diagonally (to teach the bishop). Some of the games here (which resemble early video games, like space invaders) are a little too advanced for a four-year-old's manual dexterity....perhaps for a six-year-old's as well. But there are many things he can get into nonetheless, especially if you take the time to explain things and get them started.
Overall, I'd say that if you want to give a child an introduction to the game, nothing beats the first Fritz and Chesster. Other chess teaching video games are much darker and less helpful, really, for beginners. And if he or she likes the first installment (which is also very girl-friendly), then by all means advance to the second -- especially for kids over 6.
Exceptional educational software that is fun! 
2007-01-08
I'm not going to cover the technical drawbacks of this software except to briefly mention that you should look over other reviews before you buy. However, despite annoying design features, this is quite an amazing piece of software! I would certainly rate it a 5+ if there weren't some design shortcomings and undocumented features ;)
For starters, the educational intent of this software was well thought out. Young people will certainly learn a lot about chess through using this program and they will have tremendous fun doing it! The game teaches fairly advanced concepts in very clever and engaging ways for children of all ages and even adults.
The graphics and characters are great. The explanations of principles are sound and they are reinforced through fun chess exercises. The program encourages young chess players and at the same time challenges them to improve.
The product description above covers the scope of the concepts covered in detail and I found this description to be accurate so I won't repeat it. I spent about 2 hours with a 9 year old playing the game and I had a lot of fun!
I didn't find that this program was especially difficult to use and my young friend was able to figure it out intuitively. He also found it difficult to pull himself away and so did I. This definitely an activity you can enjoy along with your children.
The overall concept for this teaching tool is interesting because it involves three layers of play. There is the overall game of rescuing the king who is trapped in the castle which is used as a tool to motivate the player to learn new chess skills that allow them to progress in this higher order game. Embedded within this larger framework are a number of clever chess teaching games where you can record high scores and learn various skills. These can be selected from within an animated room, which gives the player some freedom of choice. Additionally, there are other fun games that are not necessarily related to chess, but that allow the player to relax their chess concentration and refresh themselves for tackling more difficult chess skills challenges.
I also think it's good that kids could join [...] for a year and play against others as part of the purchase price. This gives them an arena to apply their chess knowledge and is a good community that is always available. There are other online chess communities that are free, but I still think this is a nice added bonus.
I don't think any parent could go wrong purchasing this software for their child. It's good for hundreds or even thousands of hours of entertainment and its powered by an excellent chess engine. However, you can't play a game of chess against the computer with it. It is ONLY a teaching tool. However, you can buy Fritz Grandmaster Software for about [...] which does have this capability at a very low price point compared to other products of comparable playing ability. I've heard criticisms of Fritz 9 and my understanding is the extra cost does not add a lot of value. In fact, at this point there seems to be some bugs with Fritz 9.
If you purchase this product, you won't be disappointed. I wish they had it when I was learning to play chess!
Fun way to learn basic chess tactics and strategies 2006-12-03
Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster 2, continues where the first CD left off. Like the first CD, this program may take some guessing regarding what exactly is one supposed to do, and clicking on the crown in the upper right corner helps to navigate through the game.
This program is really good for grasping the basic tactics and strategies because your progress is measured and you have to develop certain skill proficiency before moving to higher level and learning more tactics and strategies.
The CD covers some popular opening moves, middle game tactics like pins, forks, skewers and deflection, and mating strategies in end game. With practice on this CD, you can begin to win some games, and then move on to Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster 3, which is out in German, and is supposed to be out soon in English.
Excellent product for kids 2006-08-09
This is an excellent product for kids. My kid loves to learn with this software. I had issues installing this product. Other than installation issues, it has been excellent. We are having fun now!
I will recommend this title for kids starting on chess!
my eight year old is now a chess master 2008-07-21
I taught my son the basics of chess at 5 and he totally took to it, but I'm not a particularly good player, so I couldn't help him improve his game. So we bought him this software and it did just what we wanted: took him from a beginner with a solid grasp of the mechanics (moves and rules) to an intermediate with an understanding of strategy.
He now understands opening moves, developing the pieces, controlling the center of the board, protecting his king, when to sacrifice pieces and when not to, and end game basics.
Sure, some of the storylines are goofy and some of the modules are really just video games that make a minor point, but those things kept him interested in a way a dry, straight-forward walk through would not have.
We found this software to be a great benefit to our chess loving son (now 8 and can beat all his classmates) so we bought the first game (F&C #1) for his younger brother to learn the mechanics.
Great program, however 
2008-03-31
this is a great product, my kids (5 and 7) love it. They have learned a lot from it. All the positives and negatives about F and C from other reviews are spot on.
The only thing I did not see anyone mention was the dialogue itself. I try to be careful with what my kids watch and I was a bit disappointed that this product uses "stupid" "shut-up" "idiot" all words I try to avoid. It is unnecessary and just frankly rude. Comments like these happen pretty frequently between the characters and I cringe every time I hear it. My kids have been told if they repeat what they hear, they cannot play the game anymore so it hasn't been a problem, but I thought I would at least warn parents of younger kids.
Great program 2008-03-23
My kids are learning chess, and this program does a great job of teaching them basic principles in a way that is accessible and easy to understand. They love it.
Good product, but ... 2007-11-04
My kids love the Fritz and Chester II and it is difficult for me to get them off the computer. But one problem is that they are so addictive to it that they now don't have enough time for their study and piano. The software teaches some good strategies which are good for beginners.
My biggest complaint is that you can not back up the CD because it is encrypted and protected. This means that if you scratch the CD which happens very often, you have to buy new CD.
Great for my child 2007-10-30
This is a great product for my 8 year old. He finds it entertaining and the game just comes naturally to him.
Love every aspect of it and would highly recommennd to any parent who would like computer games that really do something for your chid's brain.
