http://www.boardgameswiki.com/index.php ... 28CYBER%29
As you can see, it looks like a big picture frame. You're supposed to set up a board alongside. To understand the physical playing experience, imagine fiddling around with an oversized, bulky iPad, maybe 12 x 16 and an inch thick; but instead of icons and buttons, you get data cards and cardboard sliders that reveal plastic windows with secret answers.
It strikes me that this is rather rare. I found it some years ago at a garage sale. I've never seen another since. It is a chess "machine," created by an early programmer from California who subsequently tried to apply the concept to early PCs, apparently with limited success. The packaging, still shiny in a very dog-eared original envelope, features a photo-signature endorsement from GM Pal Benko, who holds the machine and looks very slick in '70s shades and wide lapels. The ad copy is a hoot:
I would describe it as a structured multiple-choice puzzle, similar in concept to meet-the-masters or solitaire-chess-style exercises, but with a bit more thought applied. Moderately fun, actually.THE ONLY - USER-SELECTABLE - VARIABLE PLAYING STRENGTH - POPULARLY PRICED - CHESS PLAYING MACHINE
A master game is printed on a card, which slides into a slot on a large frame. Within the frame, a cardboard bar glides over a series of cut-out windows. A chess diagram appears. You set up a board at this point so you can follow the moves.
The display is a basic spreadsheet. The cells give you six move options. You have to pick one. You push a cardboard slider that reveals your score for that move.
Ooohh. You chose badly. You lose points. You rotate a proportion wheel on the side of the frame. A mark on the wheel tells you whether you're winning or losing.
This is where variable playing strength comes in. You choose your own playing level on a scale of 1-4, and you receive corresponding scores. If your score is too high, you increase the level so you don't make it too easy on yourself, which means fewer points for right answers, and bigger penalties for screw-ups. The reverse is true if your score is lousy - you dumb it down until you stay even, thereby getting a clearer idea of your strength.
The game cards provide the source material - like a paper version of a master game module. They come in packets, divided into three degrees of difficulty, maybe 10 games per packet, max (I haven't checked lately). The paperwork gives you the option to write to the company (Cyber Enterprises) and ask for more game packets.
In all my searches for the history of this item, I've found very little. Never seen it on ebay, never found anyone discussing it in forums. What I do find is the U.S. patent filed by Norbert K. Mikun, filed in February 1978.
It would be interesting to know whether any of the programmers (or those who know about programmers) ever encountered Mikun.
- R.