FingerGaming

Rating:

• Price: $9.99 (Get It)
• Version: 1.1
• Official Site: Gammick Entertainment

I’ve searched and searched for an ideal iPhone chess game, and while there are plenty of flimsy interfaces, gimmicky titles, and puzzle-based programs, the truly challenging chess games are few and far between.

Fritz Chess manages to position itself as a deep and difficult chess sim, using a respected engine and a flashy UI. To be competitive at a $10 price point, however, the game needs to be more than a Fritz front end—instead offering features beyond the basic chess match.

While the Fritz engine needs no introduction, Gammick have managed to marry it with an interface that feels entirely native to the iPhone. Pieces are easily managed through the touch screen, and the game has a variety of move possibility/threat indicators that can be turned on or off.

The menus are slick and clear, and there are a myriad of game options: without clock, blitz play, and long games (with blitz and long games being customizable). Games can also be saved and reviewed upon completion.

And the graphic presentation is especially nice: This feels like a professional title. The pieces have a subtle drop-shadow, and they almost look like elegant cutouts hovering aboard the board.

In addition, the light blue movement lines (showing where a piece came from) might be one of the best interface additions I’ve seen in a chess game. While I was initially tempted to turn them off, they offered a nice mental marker of what just happened (helpful on a platform where games are often played across multiple sessions), and added a nice contrast to the otherwise routine white/black chessboard skirmish.

Beyond the wide range of Fritz opponents (ranging from very amateur to “Grand master” ELO 2320) and a game analysis tool, Fritz isn’t bringing much else to the table. And for a normal iPhone game, this wouldn’t be a big issue. The $9.99 price tag, however, will likely have some fans hoping for more.

And while I don’t like to normally  comment on the bizarre App Store economy, I’m not sure that a game like Fritz can gain many fans with such a premium price tag—especially when the same engine is available on nearly every other platform in a more robust form. This, of course, leaves Fritz Chess in a difficult place: carry on and hope chess fans find their way to the app, drop the price, or spend more development time adding additional features.

My role, however, is to make a recommendation about Fritz Chess, and I can easily say that it’s the greatest and best-looking chess game currently available in the App Store. If you’re searching for some flair and a deep challenge, this could be the game for you. If you’re looking for additional features similar to chess programs on another platform, keep searching. And if Fritz falls in price or becomes a deeper title, consider a purchase.

Tags: board games, chess, fritz, fritz chess, gammick, reviews, strategy