There are new 16 bit chess sets, new high level opponents and teaching components, ranging from fun chess drills to advise from International Master, Josh Waitzkin. Josh even helps you out with a number of tough endgame scenarios, so next time you come down to the last few pieces on the board and you are evenly matched with your opponent, you will have a winning chance.

The new Chessmaster 8000 is powerful enough to challenge you, even if you play at a Grandmaster level. Accomplished audio commentary accompanies nearly every aspect of this game, giving you great snippets of advise during play, then expertly summarizing and analyzing your game afterwards. There are even "rating exams" that can help determine real life rankings.

Parents will be glad to know that Chessmasters 8000 also includes a Natural Language engine that gives advise even kids can follow with ease. There are kid oriented chess sets and computer opponents designed to play like kids.

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Multiplayer support is surprisingly weak in Chessmaster 8000 and there still is no full screen chessboard available.

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The 8000 series boasts a revamped game engine and better graphics than ever before. There are dozens of virtual players to choose from and you can even custom create your own opponent, guaranteeing you challenging games, no matter your skill level. The Kid's Room has also been redone with new chess sets and simple tips that do a great job of helping your children learn the ins and outs of play.

More than a hundred new grandmaster showdowns from recent tournaments have been expertly analyzed and there is a little feature called "Match the Masters" by veteran author and teacher Bruce Pandolfini, which can add depth to just about any gamer's play. You can even play Swiss style tournaments against up to 32 opponents.

Bottom line, a beginner will find this game full of neat little bells
and whistles, an intermediate player will find plenty of advise to help him improve his play, a grandmaster player will find a challenge and all players of any age, or degree of competence will find beautiful chess boards and good opponents. If you own an earlier version of Chessmaster, there are some good, if not totally compelling reasons to upgrade, but if you are a chess fan and have not yet had the pleasure of this Grandmaster of all electronic chess titles, Chessmaster 8000 is a must have game.