A chess game at its core, this game is the perfect example on how aesthetic production values such as the anmations in this case make or break the game. In this case, they absolutely MAKE the game. Every time one of your tiny chess figures throws one of the opposing team's from the board a neat little animation depicts the fight. the animation is very slick, considered this game saw its birth in the C64 era and had been a gfx favourite for many people. I spent hours and hours to see every possible combination, and I can tell you right now, I had a hell of a hard time to win by beating the enemy's king with obscure figures such as the pawn or the bishop. Talking about a game in a game experience, it was like unlocking achievments.
The base game is chess what can I say, a truly great game of "kings", yet I prefer to play it via a human brain (or a human) because it adds a whole new level of psychology to it.
The sequels and spin-offs were not as well received and did not gain the cult status of the original