With Clock Chess'88, the latest version of the chess game that attracted the most of its day came to the floppy drives of our PCWs: 3-D Clock Chess. But now with the name Clock Chess'88.

Those who bought a PCW a few years ago were faced with a discouraging outlook that unfortunately never changed: the lack of software. At that time 3-D Clockchess appeared for this machine, a chess game that surprised many of us with its high level. Later, the Microbyte company brought the latest version of this game, fully translated. Basically the same, but with important new features.

The first thing that stands out is the question it asks us when executing it. In it, it offers the user the possibility of loading their own opening library; If the answer is no, the game will load yours, which has “nothing more” than 44 Kb of opening moves. Forty-four Kilobytes that the player can expand with the openings he deems appropriate (I don't think there are many missing anyway), but be very careful when introducing a move, you must respect the coordinate notation scrupulously, otherwise real catastrophes can happen in the original library.

The graphic presentation is practically identical to the first version. This is, a board in perspective on which the pieces of attractive drawing that respond correctly to the laws of perspective move; to the left of the board, the clock and the moves of both players.

Another great novelty is the possibility of moving the pieces with a cursor arranged for it, and not only by typing in the coordinates. Continuing with the peculiarities, a new way of playing blind totally or partially (without chips or only with one color), the truth is that this is ideal to get used to thinking in coordinates.

Something that certainly should be noted is the amount of gameplay possibilities that Clockchess' 88 offers, all of them related to the time for each play. In the first place you can enter the limit of seconds that the computer can use in each play (the longer the more difficult); If you are a novice, you should press the “E” so that the computer plays without doing birguerias, with the “M” the computer adjusts to the time we invest in each play (that is, our response time marks yours) It is also possible to play against the clock so that the player who exceeds the set time loses the game; As the last time option, there is the infinite time option, with which the computer takes all the time it needs to find the best move. There is an option that allows two human players to play while the computer monitors that cheats are not commented.

The large number of possibilities and the power of the game (it solves very complex problems in times that I had never seen before) make this game a really interesting game with great incentives for chess fans. The best detail is the cursor to indicate the move.

In the following images you can check the original packaging.

• Original cover

Here you have the front of the original cover.

• Retouched cover

Its measurements are: Width: 21.90 cm x Height: 13.20 cm.

Below is the manual printed on double-sided glossy paper Its measurements are Height: 13.00 cm x Length: 20.70 cm.

Original disc supplied with Clock Chess'88.

Custom labels to print. Over the years due to its use, the labels are spoiled and lose their color and quality. Now we try to adapt the most similar in the measure of our possibilities, the labels so that they can be printed and replaced or for those who work with a copy of the program and preserve the original disc. Measurement in 3 “height: 7.00 cm - width: 7.10 cm. The first image corresponds to the original label of the game, the second is the same modified label to be able to replace the broken one and the third and fourth images are for 3.5 “discs.

Advertising

Some advertisements of the game in magazines of great circulation of the time.

Game

The disc images, obtained from the original version of Clockchess 88, have been recorded and verified.

• Clock Chess'88 v4.52 (Spanish) (.DSK file compressed in ZIP format)
• Clock Chess'88 v4.50 (English) (.DSK file compressed in ZIP format)

Manual

Below you can download the Clock Chess'88 game manual or view it online. The manual sheet measures: Width 10.30 cm x Height 13.00 cm.

• Clock Chess'88 Manual (PDF file)