The demographic groups interested in playing Internet parlor games are similar to those enjoying the mobile scene these days--or so we've been told in numerous Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association keynote speeches. No one does the former so well as Yahoo!, which is a haven for casual game players the world over. Yahoo! is hitting the mobile arena hard as of late, porting some of its online action to mobile. While you can't play this version of Yahoo! Hearts online, the single-player game is present and accounted for. This is a conventional game of Hearts, devoid of fancy graphics or sound, both of which could have been included in a Series 60 game on the Nokia 6620.
When you start up Yahoo! Hearts, you'll be treated to a catchy opening ditty. After that, it'll be over between you and the sound. You'll instead jump right into the fray, attempting to trick your three computer opponents into thinking you have cards other than the ones you actually hold. Fortunately, this excitement is spread over quite a few turns, or "tricks," so most players won't be totally and irrevocably overcome.
Your adversaries are represented by cute cartoon avatars. There's a bespectacled granny, a raven-haired software developer, and a Gen-Xer, who curves his baseball cap at an outrageous angle. The skill of your opponents is controlled by a difficulty selector in the options menu. Between the three available settings, Yahoo! Hearts does a good job of ratchetting up the challenge so as not to overwhelm you.
Yahoo! Hearts doesn't at all deviate from the standard Hearts rule set, which purists will appreciate. For the uninitiated, the goal of Hearts is to win as many tricks (sets of four cards) as possible, without accepting any hearts. This is accomplished through the strategic play of high- and low-value cards to match the suits played by your opponents. If a player doesn't have a card of the current suit, he may play a card from any suit, including hearts. This way, you can slip your hearts to other players while remaining heartless yourself.
If you're able to muster any sort of enthusiasm for the card game, then Yahoo! Hearts will cater to you adequately. It's a no-frills experience that could have greatly benefited from the online play that makes Yahoo's Internet games so addicting. Without that, even the most devout Hearts fiends won't find much to do here.
