Sure, I was supposed to be working on assignments, or doing a bit of work. Sure, it was quite late, but I just really really wanted to take one win before I went to bed. For many of us, Solitaire, Minesweeper and other such games were pretty much core to the Windows 98 and learning to use PCs experience. Solitaire.org helps you relive that experience, and introduce others to what you were up to back then. 20 odd years may have passed, but the games still suck you in like they used to back then.
Games available
The interface is fairly basic and easy to navigate. As soon as you enter the domain name, you are taken to a Solitaire game straight away. More importantly, it remembers your settings from last time. I prefer the draw 1 card mode, and I’d be annoyed if it didn’t remember that for me.
In terms of games available, there is a lot more than Solitaire, despite the name.
You have:
- Solitaire, including different styles/modes
- Other card games, such as Black Jack, Crazy Eights, Gin Rummy, etc
- Mahjong, once again available in various modes
- Hidden Object
- Match 3, which is quite famous now on smart phones
- Logic games, such as minesweeper, chess, Soduko, etc
- Word games such as Crosswords, word search, etc
Gameplay and navigation
The gameplay is fairly easy, simple and intuitive. It uses both mouse (or touchpad) as well keyboard.
You choose which game you want to play, from the fairly simple desktop, and off you go. Most games have very basic options/settings as well as modes to choose from, and they are generally remembered by your browser.
In fact, if there is any worry, it is that I can easily see myself getting back into playing these games over and over again.
My favourite games
While I had a bit of a go at most games, my three favourite were Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong. I won’t say they are the best, but because they hit that nostalgic feel in me the hardest. They provide just enough of a challenge that means it is hard to win them, but also makes it easy enough that a win is almost always within your grasp. A winning and addictive strategy, employed by most game manufacturers these days.
Apart from those, I also enjoyed playing Soduko, Word search, Hidden Object and of course Match 3. Zuma Ball was my favourite there, and this is another game I spent many many hours playing around 20 odd years ago. If anything, there is way too many games to try, and I thoroughly recommend you all give it a go.
Desktop browser only
If I had to think of one complaint, it is that it is desktop browser only. I.e. while you can play it on tablet, you would really struggle to play it on a mobile phone. It just isn’t designed for fat fingers like mine, but you could potentially move your browser to desktop mode, and you might be able to work.
Go and play
In order to play, all you have to do is head to Solitaire.org. The games are completely free, and as far as I can see, work on most browsers and should be able to work on most machines, so you really don’t have any worries there. Even if you have a Macbook!
Let us know what your experience was like.