I taught my son the basics of chess at 5 and he totally took to it, but I'm not a particularly good player, so I couldn't help him improve his game. So we bought him this software and it did just what we wanted: took him from a beginner with a solid grasp of the mechanics (moves and rules) to an intermediate with an understanding of strategy.

He now understands opening moves, developing the pieces, controlling the center of the board, protecting his king, when to sacrifice pieces and when not to, and end game basics.

Sure, some of the storylines are goofy and some of the modules are really just video games that make a minor point, but those things kept him interested in a way a dry, straight-forward walk through would not have.

We found this software to be a great benefit to our chess loving son (now 8 and can beat all his classmates) so we bought the first game (F&C #1) for his younger brother to learn the mechanics.

this is a great product, my kids (5 and 7) love it. They have learned a lot from it. All the positives and negatives about F and C from other reviews are spot on.

The only thing I did not see anyone mention was the dialogue itself. I try to be careful with what my kids watch and I was a bit disappointed that this product uses "stupid" "shut-up" "idiot" all words I try to avoid. It is unnecessary and just frankly rude. Comments like these happen pretty frequently between the characters and I cringe every time I hear it. My kids have been told if they repeat what they hear, they cannot play the game anymore so it hasn't been a problem, but I thought I would at least warn parents of younger kids.

My kids are learning chess, and this program does a great job of teaching them basic principles in a way that is accessible and easy to understand. They love it.

My kids love the Fritz and Chester II and it is difficult for me to get them off the computer. But one problem is that they are so addictive to it that they now don't have enough time for their study and piano. The software teaches some good strategies which are good for beginners.
My biggest complaint is that you can not back up the CD because it is encrypted and protected. This means that if you scratch the CD which happens very often, you have to buy new CD.

This is a great product for my 8 year old. He finds it entertaining and the game just comes naturally to him.
Love every aspect of it and would highly recommennd to any parent who would like computer games that really do something for your chid's brain.