| ★ AMSTRAD CPC ★ GAMESLIST ★ BRIDGE PLAYER 3 (c) CP SOFTWARE ★ |
Popular Computing Weekly |
Trumps Bridge Player 3, now out for the Amstrad range, is an upgraded version of CP's Bridge Player 2, rather than the confusingly similarly named Bridge Player Z7 (from the same company). BP3 plays bridge on a standard micro format: you are always South and the computer is everyone else. You have the option of playing randomly dealt hands, a consistently superior North-South holding, or being consistently inferior. Surely only a masoch-ist would choose the last option? The bidding is fairly sound, the only drawback being that while conventions such as Stayman and Blackwood are understood by the program, it is always up to you to initiate them. In the play, it does not 'cheat' on the E-W cards, ie, it does not play as though it can 'see' all 52 cards, which is a good thing. But it is rather erratic - several times I have seen E-W hold up a winning Ace until the trick where it can be trumped, and 'they' have discarded winners in the end-play. Somehow I feel they would not remain partners for very long in real life. The program has also been a little confused at times and asked me to supply West's lead to the first trick, and the character set deteriorated at one point to allow West to beat my ace of trumps with the spade of clubs (sic)! But there are several worse Bridge programs on the market. and this one has the bonus of plenty of options to allow you to practise flexibly - replay of tricks, and a peep at tricks previously played, for example. Christina Erskinet, PopularComputingWeekly860213
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