Xbox 360 Critic Reviews

The beating heart of chess is laid bare with such care that aspiring Kasparovs might yet be lured from the PC dungeon.

Whether you’re new to the game or a member of the old high-school chess club, you’ll find the Chessmaster series still holds the crown as “King” of the sixty-four-squared board.

Chessmaster Live doesn’t look like much. But it delivers exactly what it promises, and there’s not really much to complain about because of it.

While Chessmaster Live isn't going to suddenly fatten up the ranks of wannabe grandmasters, it does offer nearly everything you'd want in a competitive simulator while including all the necessary tools for engrossing offline and online matches. It's also a great chess educator.

In addition to the core Chess games there's a huge range of different and enjoyable challenges to play through, as well as timed matches and online play.

A practically endless set of challenges has also been included. [Issue#30, p.118]

Tough competition will improve your game, but won't convert anyone not already chess crazy. [Mar 2008, p.94]

A complete and detailed chess package.

It's a graphically functional, perfectly playable plug-in for those who want a quick game of chess. Nothing more, nothing less. Just chess.

Overall a pleasing little game even for a complete novice such as myself, but there are a couple of jarring annoyances here and there dropping the score a notch.