The Scisys Chess Champion Super System III is identical to the Novag version. Click here for the Scisys and Novag : The Early Years story.
In its time the Super System III was the Rolls Royce of chess computers. There were faster models but for style and luxury there was nothing to compare. Unfortunately its time did not last long. If you had to save to buy one, then, by the time you had saved enough, it was too late. By then there were a number of rivals which were stronger and with better chess playing features. Also, as was typical of the time, the manufacturer did not follow the upgrade path but introduced completely new models which could not use the accessories. These were the prices at the end of 1979 :- ...............................Harrods....Horten
Computer Unit.........£155 398 DM LCD Board................£107 298 DM Printer........................£105 179 DM Power Pack.............................98 DM Memory unit..........................179 DM Suitcase...................................79 DM _____________________________ Total..........................£455...1231 DM
£455 in 1979 is around £1500 at UK 2007 values.
Nevertheless the computer unit sold well in Germany, and sufficient of the complete system, in the case, were sold to make finding one on Ebay not too difficult. By comparison Competence was charging £279 for a Modular Game System + Sargon 2.5 in early 1980 and the MGS was stronger at chess and offered a credible upgrade path.
A further Super System III accessory, an LCD chess clock, appears amongst the photographs in the manual (see bottom of page). The Clock was not released for sale.
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