The real issue when Deep Thought beat Kasparov was not, as you would expect, the fact that a chess Grand Master was defeated by a computer. Instead, knowledgeable observers lamented the fact that it had taken so long for the event to actually happen.

Chess, when reduced to constituent elements, is a mathematical exercise. Programmed correctly, a PlayStation could beat any chess player that has ever lived. The basis of chess is appreciating the implications of any given move - and, of course, those of an opponent. Mathematically, a computer exceeds the capabilities of any given person - its ability to think ahead far exceeds that of a human opponent.

When soldiers in Half-Life fire at your position - as pseudo 'intelligent' characters governed by your PC - they effectively 'know' your position. The spot on which you stand is, of course, a grid reference on a map that the PC is generating. They are also aware of where they can walk, and the quickest route to reach a firing position. Half-Life's many assailants are not, in fact, particularly intelligent. But they appear to be. Future Gamer is not, of course, belittling Valve's opus. The point is that Half-Life's inhabitants adhere to basic formulae that effectively fool the player. And they do that very well...

There are many tricks of the AI trade. Perhaps the most famous is - and this is Future Gamer's terminology - the 'tripwire'. Consider Metal Gear Solid. Snake is capable of sneaking past guards. To make this possible, Konami's programmers wrote code routines that give each would-be opponent an elementary awareness of their surroundings. If they are patrolling, the routes they may use are clearly defined. That, in itself, is not a particularly innovative piece of programming - it's a prerequisite for all aggressor AI. The best bit, of course, is their ability to 'see' or 'hear' Snake if he alerts either sense. This is the aforementioned tripwire. To the front of each guard lies a field of vision. If Snake passes through this, he begins the inevitable chase routines. Likewise, careless shots with an unsilenced gun lead to potential disaster, too.