We are always using our PCs for work, but don’t forget you can use your machine for fun as well. So for this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I downloaded HellChess 1.3. This app lets you play Chess, Othello and Connect4. And that is all there is to it. So let’s play a bit.

Installation is non-existent; the executable runs straight from its folder. The game runs in a small window that is not sizable, but it is already an acceptable size. Chess will open up first, but you can quickly switch games by choosing Settings at the top of the window, and then using the buttons at the bottom. Six additional games are listed, but they are only available with a fee of six Euros to the author.

On the right side of the game board, you can enter your name, choose your color, edit how long the CPU has to contemplate a move and even connect to a friend for multiplayer. You simply enter their IP address and check that port 1663 is open. The initial computer acts as a server, while the second system will be called the client. The status bar shows if the connection was successful.

Once you are ready to go, click Gameboard at the top and play. If you are playing with another human, chat is available on the left. On the right is the move box, cataloguing every move. You can use the media player-esque buttons to take back one or all of your moves, as well as move forward one or all moves. I’m not an excellent chess player, but I found the AI in HellChess to be an apt opponent. Unfortunately you cannot change the CPUs intelligence should things be too difficult or too easy.

If you enjoy chess enough to practice scenarios, you can use the Tutorial option to play King-Rook-King or King and three Pawns each or a number of others. The CPU will play against you, so you can hone your skills for the future. You can also use Edit Board to setup any crazy combinations of pieces you’d like, but the AI will not play these scenarios. Finally, if you get stuck, you can click the icon of The Thinker, and the computer will make your move for you. This also works in the other two games.

Othello, the black and white disc flipping game, and Connect4, the, you-guessed-it, connecting four discs game, are set up like HellChess. You have the same settings, but without any sort of practice/edit modes.

Should you need help with the program, the “Book” link at the top opens the help folder, which explains how to play each game, network setup, tutorials etc. For a freeware program, the help file is well made, though with such a simple interface, it shouldn’t take much poking around until you get the gist of things.

I found a few small flaws in the program. The graphics are average at best, and I would have preferred black and white discs for Othello and Connect4. I also thought the font was tough to read when it is in such as small size. Lastly, the program window would periodically go black when the CPU was thinking. It came back in a second, but it was a small bug.

Overall, HellChess is a great little app for killing some time after, or during, work. Chess is a game that should have been included in Windows Games, as I can only take so much Solitaire. So if you are looking for a few extra games to avoid those TPS reports, grab HellChess, and have some fun. It’s only 9MB and it can even run on Pocket PC. http://hellhound.nl/hc/Download.html