Battle Chess 2: Chinese Chess

Battle Chess 2: Chinese Chess – Chess…the king of strategy games. If you don’t have any patience, this is not the game for you! Chess requires a lot of thinking, including problem solving, advanced planning, and figuring out offensive and defensive manoeuvres.
But…this isn’t your usual “casual, sit-down, have a cup of coffee, while you play a nice quiet game of chess” chess game. Added is combat, yes combat, as the pieces actually fight it out right on the board! And the sound effects add to the excitement.

Now what if the pieces would do this in real life?! Who would need this video game?
This game also differs from the usual guess game as it is Chinese Chess. Not just in how the game has a Chinese setting and characters, but in that it has differences from Western Chess—the game that most of us are familiar with.
In Chinese Chess, the board is made up of nine vertical lines and ten horizontal lines, with an open section in the centre (called the river) which divides the board into northern and southern territories. Each territory has an Imperial Palace, which is located in the bottom centre of each territory.
Chinese Chess also represent a more historical viewpoint as the pieces have symbolic meaning. The Knight is a Samurai; the Rook becomes a Dragon when the coup de grace is performed; the Minister (not a Bishop) turns into an Elephant when he is killed. There is a cannon that blasts away an opponent. And instead of a Queen, there is a Counsellor.
The moves the pieces are allowed to make differ slightly from Western Chess. For example, the King is not allowed to leave the Imperial Palace. Also, the pieces are placed on the intersections of the lines, not in the boxes that the lines make. Plus, each piece has a greater range of movement on the larger board.
There are nine levels of play that the computer can be set at. You can play against the computer or against a friend. If you want to pick up some hints, let the computer play against itself and watch. By using different views of the board you can get a better idea of piece placement, which is a good aid in newcomers to Chinese Chess. There is even a picture-in-picture display to help you out with the position of the pieces. The help mode is very handy for beginners as it highlights legal and illegal moves.
If you aren’t into the bloody fighting, you can switch the game to a basic board and counter option. That way you can concentrate on strategy instead of watching the true action of the game.