“The entire staff had to have solitaire removed from their computers, because they hadn’t done any work in a week” - From You’ve got Mail. It would seem that card games aren’t necessarily very popular. Yet, windows includes two card games into its standard installation. And let’s face it. Most card games are really about one of two things: 1. Winning money, 2. Taking money from your friends. Therefore it is not hard to assume that a stand alone computerized card game isn’t going to get much press or attention. Hoyle’s 2004 Card Games collection is the anti-thesis of my above statement. Frankly, there is only one failure in this set of card games that is: no multiplayer capability. In 2004, with MMORPG becoming the norm and plenty of authentic casino’s allowing your to play cards online against real opponents its rather disappointing (if not down right irresponsible) for the developers to not include multiplayer capability. But that is the only thing I found really wrong with the game. You get many different games. Hearts, Spades, Bridge, Canasta, Rummy, Gin, and all the others listed in Gamespot’s description. Of these games a few of them, the more complex ones mostly, have built in tutorials that take you by the hand and explain the rules, the play, taking tricks, and scoring. For this alone its better than most of your friends, whom, remember are really after taking your money and would prefer to tell you the rules only as they appear. The games play at a good pace, which you can either speed up or slow down in the options menu. And in classic Hoyle style there is a slider bar that decides the seriousness level of your opponents. This is not a skill level, but really seems to control how often the computer controlled opponents mouth off. The dialog is rather terse most of the time, but can become grading after hearing the Martian say, “if it wouldn’t snap my neck I’d hang my head in shame” for the thousandth time. There talking can be completely turned off as well. Aside from the shear number of different card games you are able to win Hoyle bucks. The Hoyle buck system is pretty straight forward. You are given certain defined amounts for doing particular things. Obviously winning a hand of Hearts gives you Hoyle bucks, but you are also given them for playing smart, doing things that make the game more difficult for your opponent, or playing a certain card combination. Although what you can buy is not necessary to the game and in some cases much more limited than I would have liked, its fun to play a few hands of Rummy and then spend you winning on things that change the appearance of your in game persona, like the elvis custom and the demon body. One thing that is highly overlooked, is that there are about forty versions of solitaire to choose from. Most of which I’ve not even tried to play yet. This game is larger in that regard than it seems. Overall, the game is fun and a pretty good time killer, best played while you’re waiting for the computer to do something else, like burn a cd, or while your listening to music. It’s good clean fun, a little silly, sometimes boring, but worth the money, espeically if you get it used.
I normally am into the most current games that everybody else is playing. Every now and then I have to have a relaxing game that is both enjoyable as well as entertaining mixed together. Hoyle Card Games 2004 delivers ... Read Full Review
I have had the older version and it was fun, but this version is even better. I like the characters you can choose from, along with how you can make your own version of you in the face maker area. I like the backgrounds ... Read Full Review
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