| Introduction
BAM Entertainment really do appear to get the most
out of their licenses and Chess Challenge is the latest
of the many Dexter's Laboratory games that they've released
for the GameBoy. Unlike the others, however, this one
doesn't concern itself with the adventures of the intelligent
Dexter and his friends, but with the equally intelligent
game of chess instead.
GamePlay
If you don't know anything about chess, don't worry.
The rules and objectives are clearly explained in the
manual. When you start, your first task is to decide
how you wish to tackle the game. You're given a range
of options, like the 'Quick Game', which is self-explanatory
or the 'Tournament Mode', where you can choose to play
as Dexter, Dee Dee, Mandrake or Major Glory. You'll
then be challenged to a number of matches, which you
must win in order to reign as champion chess player.
Once you've completely exhausted the 'Tournament
Mode', there are the puzzles to beat. In these puzzles,
the board is viewed from above and you are challenged
to solve a chosen puzzle such as achieving 'checkmate'
in a given number of moves. This section really works
the grey matter and you'll need to consider your strategy
wisely as a single false move could spell disaster.
The password system is complicated and not particularly
useful. It saves progress in the puzzle mode and the
tournaments but requires a 16-digit code to be recorded.
To be honest, keying in 16 digits is really too much
of a hassle. Chess Challenge also supports a two-player
mode, which thankfully only requires a single copy of
the game.
Controls
As this is a chess game, the controls are relatively
simple and user friendly with a clean and intuitive
layout. Moving a character is as simple as selecting
a piece and placing the cursor over its intended destination.
The rules of chess is strictly enforced, so illegal
moves are not allowed. If you make an illegal move,
the cursor will flash red and at the same time, the
squares on the board that you are allowed to occupy
will display in green. Everything else is explained
in great detail in the game as well as in the manual,
so don't worry too much about it.
Graphics
Chess isn't the most visually exciting game and throughout
its evolution as a video game, developers have used
various methods like 3D animation effects and eye candy
to enhance the standard board and pieces. In Chess Challenge,
however, the developers have chosen to make it seem
as though you're playing the game in a Dexter's Laboratory
cartoon with the characters that you have chosen serving
as the chess pieces.
Aside from that, there are also some nice animated
sequences in the game. The most entertaining of all
are the battles, where on successfully taking an opponent's
piece or being taken yourself, you'll be whisked off
to the battle chamber. Here you'll be treated to a short
but rather humorous animation of one character 'taking
out' another, and trust me, some of the action must
be seen to be believed.
Sound & Music
The music which accompanies each match in Chess Challenge
is a short and very repetitive looped sample of incidental
music from the show. As such, I'd advise you turn it
off via the options menu. What you don't want turned
off though are the wonderful sound effects and high
quality voice samples, which really enhance the humor
in many parts of the game.
Final Comments
BAM has done a good job in making a chess game for
younger players. Recent releases like Virtual Kasparov
and Chessmaster have all taken the traditional and technical
route. Chess Challenge, on the other hand, has succeeded
in turning what is generally considered a boring game
into one that's not only humorous and entertaining (thanks
to Dexter and friends) but intuitive and well designed.
If you're a fan of Dexter's Laboratory or a novice chess
player, then Chess Challenge is a game I heartily recommend.
|
Hardware
Reviews 
Game
Title
