Got a few minutes to spare, but don’t
want to indulge in a game that will take you much longer than you have? Too lazy
to shuffle that deck of cards to play solitaire?
Sierra has the remedy or quick game
fix that you are looking for. The game is called Hoyle Card Games 5, and it
contains 18 card games, all based on the Hoyle rulebook, along with computer
opponents and solid online support.
Sure, you know how to play Poker, Go
Fish, Memory Match and Old Maid, but you are a little fuzzy on the rules of
Canasta. Not a problem. Each game’s intro screen features several options, as
well as a quick run-through of the game. The options include changing computer
characters around the table, or maybe changing the background or wiping out the
musical portion of your program, or curtailing the animations. Once you are
in-game, you can’t make an illegal move – the game won’t let you. You may get a
message about playing a card within a certain suit – but the intent is to teach
you the rules of the game.
Other games featured in this package
are Solitaire, Euchre, Spades, War, Pitch, Bridge, Crazy Eights, Cribbage,
Pinochle, Hearts, Gin Rummy, as well as two new games – Skat (from Germany) and
Tarot (from France). As far as solitaire is concerned, there are 50 variations
of that game to choose from.
The program also features a
customizable face-making program so you can create your own persona for your
on-screen character. There are 12 animated computer opponents, each with his or
her distinct personality.
The game also has a Hoyle rule book
and strategy guide, plus a bonus game of Solitaire that can be downloaded onto
Palm OS handhelds.
The animations and card games are well
designed. Yes, the animations can get annoying after a while, but since the game
can be played without the CD, after installation, some of those elements are
disabled. Overall, though, the graphics are bright and colorful.
The sound quality is up to Sierra’s
high standards, and the game controls are very simple to use.
If there is a drawback to this
program, it lies in the computer AI. Sometimes, in a partnered game, your
computer ally will work against you. Take, for example, the game of Spades. Late
into a hand, one of your opponents leads a club. You don’t have any, and because
you only have one spade in your hand – the king – you decide that it can only
take one trick so you trump the club. The opponent’s partner meekly slides a
club onto the table. The trick belongs to you, right? Nope. Your partner trumps
your trump with the ace of spades, even though, as was proved sooner thereafter,
there were other spades in his/her hand. To make matters worse, you are set by
one trick.
The only thing you can really do at
that point is fire your partner. Hit the options key, click on players and
replace that individual.
Fortunately this rarely happens in a
game feature four other human players.
While this program is moderately
frustrating to play using computer players, it is a delight to play online. This
program is well-supported, and you can usually find a game at any hour of the
day.
As expected, this program is rated for
Everyone, and features an adjustable skill level to accommodate most players.
Hoyle Card Games features the joy of
playing cards without the hassle of having to shuffle decks or even hunt for a
deck. It is one of those programs that you can pop up, play for five minutes,
and then walk away without it nagging you about a mission left unaccomplished.
This program presents a splendid way to indulge in your passion for card games.
Install: Easy.
This is a hybrid program, capable of
playing on PCs and Macs. It will only take up 70 megs of hard-drive space on
either machine.
Gameplay: 7
The computer AI leaves something to be
desired. If it is smart enough to know that it is Thursday and lunch time (which
it was at the time one game was being played), then it should be smart enough
not to trump your partner’s winning trump.
Graphics: 8
The animations are good, the background
textures are wonderful, and the overall graphical quality of this program is
excellent.
Sound: 7.5.
To be able to turn off the sound is as
nice as indulging in the repetitive phrases of the computer players, and the
random musical overture. The latter two, though well done, can get annoying
after several days of playing.
Difficulty: 6
Low is a good score here. While actually
succeeding may be a dicey proposition, the game explains everything nicely and
gives players the tools to learn and have some measure of success in a given
game.
Concept: 6
Obviously (because it is No. 5), this has
been done before, although the addition of the two ‘new’ games – in addition to
the 16 old, tried and true friends – is nice.
Multiplayer: 8.5
The multiplayer mode is where this
program really excels. It is well supported online.
Overall: 7.8
The computer AI could be better, but you
can’t fault the manner in which the games are presented, or the look of the
program. This is a nice program, full of great diversions.
