Chess rivals that coach as they vanquish

Article Abstract:

Computer chess programs continue to advance and evolve, and many of them now have a capability to enhance skills by pointing out weaknesses in a user's game. Generally speaking, the best programs are on CD-ROMs, which are relatively inexpensive, often costing less than $100. CD-ROMs are also advantageous because they exploit a PC's multimedia technologies. Aficionado's $79.95 Chess Mentor is characterized by an expert chess player as little more than 'a book on CD-ROM. It does not play chess, but it is a good book about chess. Mindscape's $39.99 Chessmaster 5500 concerns itself more with playing chess than learning about it, but it incorporates useful teaching features. It also comes with formal tutorials. These are thorough, but they include bugs. Simon & Schuster's $30 Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess, compatible with Windows 3.1 and 95, is recommended for young adults who are beginners or intermediate players. Interplay's $29.95 Chess Mates is for young children and is recommended as a simple primer.

Evaluation, Product/Service Evaluation, Computer games, Computer game, Software multiproduct review, Simon & Schuster Inc., Strategy game, Computer strategy games, Mindscape Inc., Computer chess, MIND, Interplay Productions, Aficionado, Chessmaster 5500 (Strategy game), Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess (Strategy game), Chess Mates (Strategy game), Chess Mentor (Strategy game)

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Mac program generate effortless prose

Article Abstract:

The free McPoet entertainment/hobby application helps users overcome writer's block by supplying compositions or changing supplied text into different literary styles. The impressive software can be downloaded from Info-Mac Digest's Web site. The user-friendly McPoet consumes only around 4MB of hard drive space. Features include a colorful interface and appealing sound effects. Users can request the number of lines for each McPoet-supplied poem. Those who offer their own writing for conversion can select from literary styles that include the early 20th century cyncial artistic Dadaism movement as well as Shakespeare, Kant or the Bible. McPoet, however, is compatible only with Macintosh.

Product introduction, Product Announcement, Recreation, Software product introduction, Entertainment/hobby software, Entertainment software, Hobby software, Amusements, McPoet (Entertainment/hobby software)

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Helping electronic devices make beautiful music together

Article Abstract:

MIDI has been the music standard for computer-aided composing since 1983. It allows composing software and synthesizer hardware from a variety of suppliers to work together. With MIDI software composers can create, record and manipulate sounds that would be very expensive or impossible for live performers to produce. A MIDI file is small, and does not contain a sound waveform, but rather instructions telling the synthesizer how to create the tone, duration, and intensity of the sound.

United States, Standards, Technology overview, Music industry, Music software, Computer music

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