User Reviews (1 - 11 of 108)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Customer abuse

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 20 / 24
Date: August 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The game itself is OK--not great, mind you, but OK. But to be unable to play a piece of software that I paid a lot of good money for until I get up from my computer, track down the disk, insert it, take it out, put it back on the shelf, etc., etc., is such abominable customer abuse that I've now had enough! I refuse to play this game anymore and will NEVER buy a Chessmaster game again. I find it incredible that so many people are willing to put up with this garbage! I have scores of software disks I've bought over the years and Ubisoft is the ONLY one that makes me prove over and over again that I'm not cheating them out of their money. Do NOT buy this game unless you think this gross customer abuse is the way things should be!

Full install fails

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Chessmaster 9000 fails to install the complete package. I bought two of them, returned one, the unopened one I got for my kids. Maybe it would work on an older version of Windows than XP, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Chessmaster 9000

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If you enjoy spending hours fiddling with software that doesn't run properly, searching every possible website imaginable to help troubleshoot that software, and reading a 40 page PDF file hoping to find a morsel of useful information on installation, then Chessmaster is the game for you. A colossal waste of time. I have purchased many other games and had no trouble installing and running them, but this one is pure frustration. I managed to get a few false starts with this game which merely let me watch the introductory video that tells you how great the game is. Funny thing is, that's the only part of this software that worked. Now I get to find out how difficult they will make it for me to return it for a refund.

No printer or internet--you can't load this program

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 53 / 64
Date: December 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My 80-year-old husband likes to play computer games. However, he does not have a printer, nor does he have an internet connection.

This program CANNOT be loaded unless you REGISTER. You can either register online, or you can register by filling out the form and printing it. If you do not do either, you cannot resume loading the program. PERIOD.

This is just another example of arrogant young techies who feel that anyone who does not have the latest equipment is useless and not to be considered. It does not even cross their minds that not everyone has everything they have.

A very, very frustrating and sad Christmas Day for an old man. I'm in tears.

Thank you UBI for not even having an e-mail contact. You obviously only want to sell, sell, sell, and you don't give a hoot about anyone.

WARNING to all CDRW drive owners

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 39 / 40
Date: February 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Look out folks, despite there being no warning on "some of" the boxes (according to UbiSoft tech support), UbiSoft has brilliantly decided to prevent installation from a CDRW drive. I have a Dell Inspiron 8500 that came standard with a Samsung CDRW/DVD drive, and I am unable to install. Called tech support, and before I even got going, he knew exactly what I was talking about, and claimed there is no workaround for it. I will simply have to return the game (even though I can't now that it's open) to the retailer and will not be able to play it until I buy a CD or DVD drive with no write/rewrite capacity just for this game.

I don't know what genius at UbiSoft came up with this as a notion to prevent piracy, but I've got news for them, you're only hurting potential customers. Blocking CDRW use on the disc itself isn't going to slow down some game cracker. It's only going screw me up.

So since there's no warning about this "feature" on Amazon, and as there's no warning about it on the box itself that I just today received from Amazon, I thought I'd come on here and let people know, lest they waste the purchase price as I did.

These days, almost all laptops come standard with CDRW/DVD drives, why UbiSoft chose to cut off an entire slice of the market is beyond me. Apparently this "feature" is now on all of their PC games. So look out.

I'm sure were I able to play it, it would deserve more than a single star. But because I can't, and because I feel UbiSoft effectively duped me into buying by 'forgetting' the warning, I can't give it higher than that. I'm not slamming the game itself, but rather their policy.

This is a complete joke

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game would not install. I learn't afterwards on the web that it has been deliberately designed not to install from a cdrw drive in the name of copy protection, which rules out just about every laptop on the planet by now. There is no warning on amazon or on the box. A hard to find item on the ubisoft faq suggests you should go and buy a different cdrom drive. What a disgraceful way to behave towards your customers and what a narrow minded way to produce software in today's marketplace. Having wasted my money I am furious and shall now be buying fritz. I will not be buying ubi soft software in the future. I suggest the title on the box should be amended to read.

"The world's most popular chess program for people who do not have CDRW drives"

CD Key??? Are they serious?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 21 / 44
Date: January 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have three or four thousand dollars worth of paid-for software on this machine, including Chessmaster 9000, and this is the ONLY one stupid enough to make me put a CD in the machine every time I want to play. True, I don't play games much, so maybe this is ordinary behavior for games, but you can believe I'll never play the game, or have anything good to say about it. I don't appreciate being treated like a criminal by software I have PAID for.

Laptop users beware of this product

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: March 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

UBI Soft uses some inane "CD Refresh" copy protection so that you have to keep the CD with you constantly. If you have travel with any frequency, it's just not worth the trouble to use their software.

No support for Windows XP!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 17 / 67
Date: July 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Well I've been searching for Chess games recently and I'm surprised that this version which is being released in September 2002 is not compatible with Windows XP!

Yes look at the requirements: Windows 95 / 98 / Me
or go to UBI Soft's website and indeed they are not supporting Windows XP for most of their games including this one. They say something about Windows XP having a new file type that is not compatible with their software.

GRRRR I mean come on! I have a new tower PC and a new laptop both with Windows XP and I would love to have a nice Chess game available for it. UBI Soft get it right! Support Windows XP!

Well I've love to play this game if I could. :(

They only get a 1 star review from me until they support a Windows XP version.

Stephanie

Chessmaster 9000

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: August 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought this to improve my chessplaying. But in a couple of days I removed it from my PC. I find the chessboards included akward to look at. I recommend to chessplayers to try chessclub.com instead.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions