dlstewart's Full Review: Hoyle Card Games 2007) for Windows
I enjoy card games. However, not everyone in my family likes them as much as I do. So having Hoyle Card Games 2007 allows me to play card games with computer-generated players.
Computer requirements
Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 SP4, XP SP2 (Home & Pro), Vista
Pentium III 450 MHz, 128MB RAM
700MB hard disk space
32MB Video RAM
8x CD ROM
Face Creator
The game comes with five pre-made characters that you can choose to represent you. There are three female and two male choices. The Face Creator feature allows the option of custom creating a character that is truly “you”. Be serious or funny. The program allows the option of selecting everything from eyes, nose, ears and mouth to hair color and styles, face shape, and skin color. There are lots of choices. There are even different character voices to choose so that your character can speak to the other computer generated characters. If you don’t wish your character to talk, you can also choose to have it remain silent.
I opted to create a character that somewhat resembles my true appearance. However, there were tempting hair colors (such as blue or the clown “do”) as well as fanciful hat options and costumes. The characters are only shown from the shoulders up, but the costumes include a racing outfit, clown costume, or look like Dracula or Elvis as well as other options.
Playing for the First Time
The program opens with the option of choosing a player name. For instance, everyone in the family can have their own player identity. A list of players is presented after the initial choice so that if more than one player is listed, one can choose between player names.
You can change the gaming environment, too. Select whether you want the program to show animations, sound effects, view warnings or whether to show the movie intro. Character speech can be adjusted with a sliding scale of serious (meaning not as chatty) to talkative. There is also a sliding scale to control the speed how fast the computer characters take their turns. Also choose whether background music is played. To start with, there are not many background music options, but this can be changed with how often the games are played. (Earn Hoyle Bucks to buy more music.)
The program can also be opened as a full screen to fill the computer display. Or the program can open in a smaller window that still shows everything but on a smaller scale. The game program remembers if it was in full-screen mode and will open as it was last viewed.
If you are unsure of how to play certain games, there are five game tutorials available: bridge, canasta, gin, hearts and spades. Rules for all the games are available for viewing.
The Games
There are a lot of games to choose from. Below is a partial list of the games. Those not included are Old Maid, Pinochle, Pitch, Skat, Space Race, Spite & Malice, Tarot, Tuxedo. A great feature of this game is that you can keep track of your game statistics: games won and lost, as well as a variety of details pertaining to each game variety.
Bridge – Not a favorite game of mine, though I have friends who live to play bridge. This is a four-player game, two people on each team. It is a complex game involving bids, trumps and tricks. This game features two types of bridge: Rubber Bridge and Four-Deal Bridge. There are three dummy options as well as three difficulty levels.
Canasta – I love canasta. This is a four-player game with two players on each team. The object is to make melds of three or more of the same kind of card (ex: three kings, or four nines). Canastas are formed when seven of the same type of card are melded. The only options to this game are the three difficulty levels.
Crazy Eights – When I was younger, friends and I played this card game all the time. This is a four-player game. Eights are wild cards in the game. Players discard their cards on top of a discard pile (same color card on same color card [ex: red on red] or like card on like card [ex: queen on a queen]). If no card can be played, cards are picked from the pile until a playable card is chosen. The first person with no cards wins the hand. There are two game choices: Normal Crazy Eights and Very Crazy Eights with three difficulty levels. Choose to play with no score or with scores of 100, 200, 300 or 400 points.
Cribbage – Another favorite game! Two opponents play this game. Six cards are dealt to a hand. The player keeps four cards, and gives two cards to a “crib”. Players alternate who gets the crib and the points in it. Points can be gained by making combinations of cards that add to 15, or create a flush, or runs as well as a few other ways to accumulate points. As points are earned, each player has a colored game peg that moves around the cribbage board. A great feature is that the computer automatically tallies the points and moves the game pegs. Game play options include: Muggins, Seven Game Match, Quick Count. Also choose the first dealer, a choice of board styles (when Hoyle Bucks are earned) and between three difficulty levels.
Euchre – This game took me awhile to warm up to. Four players divided into two-player teams. Only the cards 9 through Ace are used. This is another game that involves trump and tricks. Five cards are dealt and trump is chosen. The object of the game is to win at least three tricks to win the hand. Game play choices include winning 5, 7 or 10 points. There are two game types: Stick the Dealer and Left of Dealer always leads. There are three difficulty levels.
Gin – This is a two-player game. Ten cards are dealt. Win the hand by collecting cards of the same rank (ex: three jacks) or in sequence by suit (ex: jack, queen, king of hearts). There are two choices for game play: Gin Rummy or Oklahoma Gin with three difficulty levels. Win the match with either 300, 500, 1000 points or by 1, 3 or 5 games.
Go Fish – You may remember this game from childhood. Five cards are dealt. Each player in turn asks for a card type (ex: “Do you have any tens?”) Collect the most “like” cards to win the game. Children will enjoy this game since it offers colorful cards and animated fish. Choose between three difficulty levels.
Hearts – Probably most people have played the Microsoft version of hearts. Thirteen cards are dealt. Try to empty your hand of cards without being stuck with the queen of spades and as few heart cards as possible. Choose whether the leading card is the two of clubs, how to pass, whether the queen of spades breaks hearts, and whether the jack of diamonds is worth 10 points. There are also three difficulty levels.
Memory Match – This is a one-player or two-player game. The object of the game is to match two of the same type of cards. My one complaint is that the card sets don’t vary. I wish the game offered themes such as animals, shapes, or fantasy figures. Instead, the cards resemble a Halloween theme. Choose the grid size (4x4, 6x4, 6x6). There are four difficulty levels and the choice of four card deck colors. A timer keeps track of how long it takes to match all the cards.
Poker – I’m not a gambler, which is why Hoyle poker is fun. No real money exchanges hands. This is a variation of 5-card draw with six players. Chips are in values from $1 to $25,000. You can call, raise or fold. This poker game does not offer many gaming options and is pretty rigid. If you are a poker lover, you’ll probably be disappointed with the lack of flexibility in this game. The game options include Win It All, win in 25 hands, win in 50 hands.
Rummy 500 – This is a two-player game where thirteen cards are dealt. Rummy is similar to gin, except the card melds are placed face-up on the table so that both players can see what is being discarded. You can add cards to either your melds or your opponent’s melds. Melds include cards of similar rank (ex: three aces), runs in the same suit (ex: jack, queen, king of clubs). There are three difficulty levels. There are also a few options that affect card values and scoring.
Solitaire – There are 45 different games of solitaire. Some of the varieties include: Aces Up, Bowling, Canfield, Eagle Wing, Forty Thieves, Golf, Klondike, Pyramid, Red and Black, Spider, Yukon. There is also an option of adding games to a favorites list so they are available in a drop-down menu.
Spades – This is a four-player game with two players to a team. This is another game that involves bidding and tricks, and spades are always trump. Game options include a winning score of 250, 500, 750 or 1000 points. You can also select a losing score of -100, -200, -300, -400 points. There are three skill levels.
War – I still enjoy a good card game of war. It’s a simple game for all ages. Two players flip the top card of their deck. The highest card wins. When two cards of the same value are played, each player places three cards face down on the table and the next upturned card decides who wins the pile. The object is to win all the cards. To make the game more interesting, each player also has three tanks that shoot at one another as the cards are won and lost. The only game setting is how many wars to win: 3, 6 or 9 wars. You can also choose to play until the cards run out.
The Computer-Generated Players & Real People
The computer characters are fun and also interact with you during the games. The games allow selection of the different characters and also offer the option of selecting favorite characters to play with whenever the game opens. An option allows you to choose how active the computer characters are: how often they talk and how fast they play the games.
There are twelve characters to choose from: four female, four male, a bear named Harley, a dinosaur named Marvin, an alien named Roswell, and a parrot named Captain Scurvy. Each character also has a bio to explain more about it. The characters have their own unique speech patterns and phrases. After awhile, though, the same phrases become a bit annoying. I wish Hoyle Buck upgrades included adding more computer-generated characters or more phrases for their vocabulary.
Another option is to play with friends. Create an identify for them on your computer and take turns using the mouse to play the games. Some games only allow computer-generated characters to play, though.
Hoyle Bucks
As you play and win games, you also win Hoyle Bucks. This “play” money can be spent on game upgrades. There is a guide book that describes how to use the Hoyle Bucks, and catalog of ways to spend them. You can purchase new backgrounds for the games, game items such as new card decks, music to accompany game play, and new options for the Face Creator.
There is one more thing to purchase ... items for the Spacemaker.
Spacemaker – More Customization
This feature allows you to create a customized background for the character representing you during the games. These items surround your character as you play games, personalizing your play space. Some items you can purchase using the Hoyle Bucks include a bobble-head cow or monkey, a drinking bird, Japanese cat, a killer plant, clock, theater masks, amplifier, various pets, and more.
Purchasing
This product sells for $19.99.
Summary
I like having this Hoyle Card Games 2007 in my game collection. It offers a variety of games that I can play either by myself or with computer-generated players. I don’t play this game often, though, since I prefer to frequent Pogo.com for fun online games. However, if you are a parent, this CD is most likely better than allowing a child unsupervised to play online games. This game collection is also great to have onhand when the internet is not available.
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