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Pardon the dust! This page includes some jargon that hasn't been added to the site's glossary yet. I'll be around to fix this later, but sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime. |
Review: Pretty Good Solitaire
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:Each player has their own profile that records their scores and in-game progress. Your progress is always saved when you leave the game, so you can quit any time and resume the game later. Time needed per session:This is a fairly standard collection of solitaire card games, so you can easily fit it into your free time.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians The only thing that could be considered offensive about this collection are the names of certain games. For example, "Canfield" is also known as "Demon", which may sound bad. But, as these are all just variants of solitaire, there's nothing to really worry about. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/pretty_good_solitaire_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/pretty_good_solitaire_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/pretty_good_solitaire_2.jpg)
Game Overview
A lot of people were disappointed with the Microsoft Solitaire Collection for one reason or another, and I can understand their reasoning. Prior to Windows 10, solitaire had always been included with the operating system, and has always been one of the lightest programs on the system. Now, it's another thing you need to download, requires an internet connection, and is a surprisingly hefty program to run. But, it's also not the only solitaire game in town, so let's take a moment to look at a rival game.
Pretty Good Solitaire has been around for a very long time - in the mid-90s, I purchased my first copy of the game from a mail order catalogue. Today, it's primarily available via the developer's website, which unfortunately has the drawback of limiting its exposure. If you don't know it's out there, you're not likely to stumble across it.
It's changed very little over the decades, with the interface still resembling the classic look of Windows 95-era software. This is clearly a case of "if it's not broken, don't fix it", as the main window only exists to provide players with the massive game selection menu. Considering the vast number of games available, it's probably the only reasonable way to list them. After all, as of version 20.1.0, there are more than 1,000 different card games that need to be listed!
Many of these games are multiple-deck variations of other games, such as Double Freecell, but a large number of them are unique to this specific collection. Personal favorites of mine include Demon and Theives and a Klondike-style variation of Spider called Spiderette. With all of these options, there's a game for everyone in this collection, and if you still aren't satisfied, there's a way to create your own custom games!
Of course, the card games themselves aren't the only features solitaire fans will enjoy. This game can be run offline, doesn't have annoying advertisements or in-game purchases, and still has the look and feel of the classic solitaire games that everyone remembers from their older computers. There's even an option to use a card design that mimics the one used in sol.exe or freecell.
The only real issue with it is that it's $25, but since you're certainly getting the quality you're paying for, even this steep price doesn't seem like much of an issue. Definitely consider checking this game out if you enjoy solitaire games.
Pretty Good Solitaire has been around for a very long time - in the mid-90s, I purchased my first copy of the game from a mail order catalogue. Today, it's primarily available via the developer's website, which unfortunately has the drawback of limiting its exposure. If you don't know it's out there, you're not likely to stumble across it.
It's changed very little over the decades, with the interface still resembling the classic look of Windows 95-era software. This is clearly a case of "if it's not broken, don't fix it", as the main window only exists to provide players with the massive game selection menu. Considering the vast number of games available, it's probably the only reasonable way to list them. After all, as of version 20.1.0, there are more than 1,000 different card games that need to be listed!
Many of these games are multiple-deck variations of other games, such as Double Freecell, but a large number of them are unique to this specific collection. Personal favorites of mine include Demon and Theives and a Klondike-style variation of Spider called Spiderette. With all of these options, there's a game for everyone in this collection, and if you still aren't satisfied, there's a way to create your own custom games!
Of course, the card games themselves aren't the only features solitaire fans will enjoy. This game can be run offline, doesn't have annoying advertisements or in-game purchases, and still has the look and feel of the classic solitaire games that everyone remembers from their older computers. There's even an option to use a card design that mimics the one used in sol.exe or freecell.
The only real issue with it is that it's $25, but since you're certainly getting the quality you're paying for, even this steep price doesn't seem like much of an issue. Definitely consider checking this game out if you enjoy solitaire games.
Points of Interest
Multiple card designs
By default, there are 16 card backs and 7 card designs to choose between. More can be downloaded from the game's website, and you can even create some yourself if you're up to the challenge. All of these designs stretch to fit your preferred card size, though some games (such as Quadruple Freecell) will adjust the cards' size in order to fit the game into the program's window.
Make your own card games
If the great many built in card games aren't enough to keep youo entertained, then there's always the option to create your own games via a game editing wizard. Creating new games is just a matter of making a few selections in this dialog and saving the result. Once created, these new games included in the total game list and remain available until you decide to delete them. You can also tweak a game you've made if something needs improving.
Quests and Tours
It might be difficult to choose a new game out of the literally hundreds of options available. Quests and Tours help solve this problem. Quests are fixed deals of specific games; your goal is to earn a higher score than other players. Tours, on the other hand, are preset groups of games that you play in sequence, making them a good way to learn about different types of solitaire card games. If you're feeling creative, you can also make your own tours.
Infinite undos, hints, and restarts
Since you're playing for fun rather than achievements or other perks, there's nothing stopping you from indulging in hints, undos, restarts, and other things that would be considered cheating in other games. Go nuts.
Concerns and Issues
Some names are sketchy, but that's about it
The closest thing to offensive content you'll find here are the names given to some of the card games. For example, there's Demon and Theives, which I mentioned earlier. The name of this game comes from it blending Fourty Theives and Canfield into one challenging game. Canfield is also known as Demon, hence, Demon and Theives.