Igo Meikan (Japan)

Igo Meikan is a Go board game for the NES system, offering a deep strategic experience of this classic board game. In Igo Meikan, players face off against the computer on a traditional 19x19 Go board. The primary objective of the game is to control more territory than your opponent by placing your stones (black or white) on the intersections of the board.

Each turn, a player places one of their stones. Placed stones must have "liberties" to avoid being captured by the opponent. When a group of stones is completely surrounded by opponent's stones and has no remaining liberties, they are captured and removed from the board. The game focuses on long-term planning, the ability to read the board, and anticipating the opponent's moves. Players need to skillfully build territory, protect their own stone groups, and find ways to attack the opponent's weaker groups.

A distinctive feature of Igo Meikan likely lies in the "Meikan" (famous collection) part, suggesting a compilation of classic Go games or problems. This means that in addition to free play against the AI, the game might offer puzzle challenges (tsumego) or recreate famous matches, helping players learn and improve their Go skills. The game's interface is simple, suited to the NES's capabilities, allowing players to easily move the cursor to place stones and perform other actions. The game concludes when both sides can no longer make advantageous moves, or when one side resigns. The final score is calculated based on the total controlled territory and the number of captured opponent stones.