Fritz 8.0
Fritz 8
Reviewed on 01/17/03
Well, Fritz 8 arrived on my doorstep shortly after the new year. While there are a few new features, most of what I said in my Fritz 7 review still holds true. Like its predecessor, Fritz 8 employs an initial welcome screen that gives the user a choice between online play, and play against a chess engine. So there are no surprises there. Of course, the program now comes on two CDs instead of one, so that there is enough space for high-res maps (for online play) and multimedia comments.
The biggest news is perhaps the introduction of a new three dimensional board. There are plenty of screen shots of the new board display floating around the web, and you should probably give them a look. In addition to Chessbase's screen shots, you can also take a look at Steve Lopez's articles on Fritz 8.
Ok, now that you're impressed, I have to say that I never got my board to look like anything I saw on the internet. I fiddled with all the options, installed the latest drivers, prayed, etc. But nothing I did allowed me to attain 3-D nirvana. I suspect this is due to some sort of Direct-X problem, or maybe there is some sort of incompatibility with my video card (Matrox G-550). In any case, owners of this video card might want to avoid buying the new version simply for the 3-D boards. The boards work, but the contrast is very low and the white and black pieces are difficult to tell apart (and yes, I looked at adjusting the gamma curve and color depth, monitor brightness and contrast, etc, but that did not help).
Other new features in the playing program include some drilling modes for practice of endgame and opening positions. These work in conjunction with two databases that can be modified by the user. So while there are a number of positions already predefined by Chessbase, you can also add your own. You don't need Chessbase to do this, Fritz 8 can modify these files easily. One note about using this function - I noticed that there is immediate feedback for incorrect moves during opening training, but not during endgame training. I suspect this is intentional - but be aware of this difference.
Multiple engine analysis is also supported in the deep position analysis function in this version. This allows you to essentially have multiple view-points from any Chessbase or Winboard compatible engine at your disposal. It looks like the program simply runs the analysis on one engine after another, based on a user-defined order. I suspect that it will be the topic of a future T-notes article by Steve Lopez.
Internet play does not seem to have changed a whole bunch, but I did notice a few changes here and there. One was the ability to block direct connections, and have the option of automatically switching to the 2-D board for bullet play. And BTW, this is a good idea - it is a bit tricky to play blitz or bullet with the new board - even though Fritz does assist you with this, by marking the corresponding square that the mouse is currently over.
There are also some minor enhancements to map functions (i.e. new satellite view, for instance), and there now seems to be support for paying services (similar to what ICC uses). Playchess.com is still free of course, but this feature allows you to pay for lessons (or maybe to receive such payment for lessons you provide).
It looks like the 3-D board and drilling features are the most compelling reasons to purchase this upgrade. So owners of Fritz 7 may want to keep this in mind. Those that don't already have Fritz should take a look, since the program offers a set of functions that are very useful to the serious player. Plus, it has high entertainment value, and that is what the game is about. If you haven't already, I would suggest that you read my review of Fritz 7, since it discusses the core features in a bit more detail.
Copy Protection
Must install from original CD, periodic refueling necessary.
