There are several ways to play a game. Single players can play against the computer. The computer's skill level can be set at various levels--novice, weak, moderate, intermediate, expert, and there's a custom option, which allows players to set search depth (the number of moves ahead the computer is allowed to plan a move and calculate every possible move you could make in response) from 1 to 48, and capture aggressiveness (which measures how aggressively the engine chooses a capturing move over an equally effective non-capturing move) from 2 to 12. Two players can play against each other on one computer. Alternatively, players on different computers can play via a telephone network, LAN or the Internet (via Winsock). The setup documentation is good.

For beginners, the help files include chess rules, and there are in-play hints available. More advanced players wishing to improve their skills may wish to import a PGN (Portable Game Notation) game. Portable Game Notation is a standard way of describing chess games in a computer-readable format. A number of files with PGN notation are included in Corel Chess, and others are available on the Internet and can be imported. The included PGN games range from the mid-1800s to the 1990s. While the program doesn't allow users to play against the masters, it does allow users to scrutinize the games in live-motion, pause and fast-forward through thousands of championship chess games. In a world where PCs are more common than chess-boards, Corel Chess renders the history and experience of this complex game vividly. Kasparov wannabes take note. --Kathleen Keefe

Various attractive designs of both pieces and boards can be chosen and viewed as both 2-D and 3-D projections. Since this program is quite old (1996) the graphics aren't as good as some newly released computer games. This is especially noticeable when the poor graphics make vertically aligned pieces on the 3-D board difficult to distinguish, however, the 2-D board with easy-to-see symbolically shaped pieces which can be viewed simultaneously limits this problem.

The program was quick and straightforward to install but during the initial game play the program constantly needs to read the CD and this consequently delays the program for a few seconds each time. Despite these criticisms the Corel Chess program performs the task of playing chess satisfactorily and the game and user-face options allow easy customisation to suit your particular tastes.