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Rating: 
-
I just got Chessmaster 9000 for Mac in the mail today, and I'm already having quite a bit of fun with it. I'm a bit crazy, I already had Chessmaster 9000 for the PC, but I don't have a PC anymore and figured that it wouldn't be any fun to play in Virtual PC (rating - 0 stars), so I picked up the Mac version.
The Mac version is pretty much identical. It's got lots of great lessons, and more gameplay options than could ever be fully explored. I think the game actually seems a bit smoother on Mac than on PC.
For those complaining, it seems that Feral has finally let the patches out of beta, and the game now works pretty smoothly on OS X 10.4, Tiger. This is what finally prodded me into purchasing the game. I haven't seen any problems yet, but one: no online play available. I'm not sure this is a big deal, I'll give it a try on another day and see if it works, if not, I'll contact support.
This game is fun and educational. I would give it five stars, except for the copy protection issue that requires that the DVD be inserted to play the game. This STINKS! I would like to take the game with me wherever I have my laptop, but the idea of carrying a $40 DVD with me, when it's likely to get lost or scratched, doesn't appeal to me. I wish developers wouldn't pull these kinds of tricks. Otherwise, I would have gladly given it 5 stars.
Rating: 
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This chess program provides a wide vareity of play and training options that is sure to please both the very beginning chess player as well as the novice and all the way up through advanced players. My favorite feature of the game is the "classroom" feature in which hundreds of lessons are presented into three levels: "Basic", "Intermediate", and "Advanced". The lessons play through with a voice over recording and a graphical interface that moves the chess pieces for a visual demonstration of the lesson. At the end of each lesson are multiple quizzes designed to test your knowledge of the lesson contents. Very helpful and entertaining if you are simply learning for the first time or wanting to really hone your skills on a more advanced level.
The game features rich graphics and beautifully rendered boards and chess pieces to chose from, as well as a wide array of computer personalities to challenge you. The program rates your play and helps keep track of your progress as you advance in the game.
I am using Tiger OS 10.4.3 and I have no problems running the program on my dual 2.5ghz G5 tower. I have noticed that the program does interefere with the screen saver function and as long as the game is running, it will not go into screen saver mode. There are other reports of the program interferring with other programs, but I haven't noticed any problems. My one complaint is that you must keep the DVD in the drive bay to play the game. That's unfortunate as it is somewhat limiting on the end user.
All in all, a truly wonderful product for everyone from the most casual to the most ardent chess fan. This one is sure to please.
Rating: 
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I bought this program on good faith, only to discover that important parts of the prgram do not run with OS 10.4 (Tiger). I've e-mailed Feral and have not as yet received a reply. Since they seem to have a 'beta' patch, they should make this known to all Tiger owners. If you have Tiger, I wouldn't buy this software until they have a real fix.
Rating: -
Some reviewers have mentioned an incompatibility with Tiger (OS X 10.4). I am currently running 10.4.3, and CM 9000 was not working properly (it worked great on Panther). However, I emailed Feral, and WITHIN HOURS was sent a website where I downloaded a patch which has fixed all issues.
Reports of clunkiness & bugs are not present on my 1Ghz flat panel iMac, or my G4 PB. This program has really helped my game, and my 6 year old son has become quite the young chess afficianado...he loves to play it. Feral has done great work here.
Rating: 
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You can get sleek FREEWARE from sigma that blows this bloated buggy mess away. It interferes with other stuff, you have to have the DVD in and it is a mess that messes up your mac. Run for your life. UGH!
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