Reviewed: October 12, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Sierra Entertainment
Developer
Sierra Entertainment
Released: September 20, 2001
Genre: Card Games
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone
8
7
5
10
8.4
System Requirements
Hoyle as been the undisputed authority for parlor type games for over two centuries, and Sierra has been bringing these classic games to your PC for over ten years now. I’ve been an avid fan of all of the Hoyle releases since Sierra started putting them out back in the early 90’s. I was even a beta-tester for their TSN (The Sierra Network) online gaming system that allowed you to play many of these games online. Keep in mind these were pre-Internet times when you actually had to dial another person’s computer or a service such as AOL or CompuServe to do anything online.
Sierra has managed to keep up with the times and subsequently release a new and improved version of their various Hoyle franchises every year which brings us to this year’s release of Hoyle Card Games 2003.
This latest release is packed with classic card games including:
- Bridge
- Canasta
- Crazy Eights
- Cribbage
- Euchre
- Gin Runny
- Go Fish
- Hearts
- Memory Match
- Old Maid
- Pinochle
- Pitch
- Poker
- Skat
- Solitaire
- Spades
- Tarot
- War
Standard for all of the 2003 Hoyle releases, this game comes with the exclusive Facemaker tool that lets you create your own persona from hundreds of various facial features, clothes, and accessories. Much like a police composite system, you can overlay noses, lips, hair, eyes, until you create something that either resembles your own appearance or even some crazy character with a rainbow clown wig. The possibilities are nearly infinite. One nice feature for those of you who own more than one of the Hoyle 2003 games is that you can load your composite image into those other games and not have to create it entirely from scratch.
Navigating the menus is quick and easy. The various card games are sorted into categories, and you can quickly find the game you want to play and load it up. Once loaded there are handy tutorials and excellent instructions to familiarize you with the gameplay and rules for each game. You can let the computer pick your opponents or choose your own and even choose to have your favorites return for future games. This is a great option since many of these games rely on team play and having a consistent partner is very nice.
There are various options you can toggle to make these games as friendly as possible. A good example is Cribbage where you can choose to count your own score or have the computer do it for you. Each game usually has several options so you can choose your own pace and level of challenge.
Each game is presented in a colorful and charming visual style. Everything is organized so there is no clutter and you can easily read your cards and enjoy the fun animation of the other players. You can customize just about everything including the background, deck of cards, and you’re your choice of background music.
There aren’t a lot of sounds in Hoyle Card Games and understandably so. Aside from the sounds of the deck being shuffled and a few random sound effects from the players, this game doesn’t rely on sound to enhance the fun.
There are 12 characters that you can play against this game and they each feature their own unique personalities and accents. You have characters like the cowboy and elite Manhattan snob, to some crazy characters like the pirate parrot and the Alien. Their random dialog can get repetitive after several hours of gameplay, but you can always toggle that option off if you wish.
Hoyle Card Games is packed with value. With 18 games waiting for you to master you can play this game forever, or at least until the 2004 edition comes out. There are plenty of games targeted at kids like Old Maid and Crazy Eight and all of the popular adult favorites, so the entire family can enjoy this title together or individually.
In addition to the 100+ page manual, the game also comes with an abridged version of the Third Revised Edition of Hoyle’s 8 Favorite Games; a substantial and useful guide that you can use even in your non-computer gaming. This book is non-specific to the software, so regardless of which Hoyle game(s) you buy, the book will be the same.
Up to four people can play on the same computer or you can challenge family, friends, or strangers to your favorite game of chance over the Internet. Hosting and joining other people games is very easy with the built-in online support and Sierra's online gaming website.
Hoyle Card Games is portable and can be installed on your laptop and played without the CD; although, certain animations and sounds that stream from the CD will not be available. As an added bonus, there are even some PDA versions of Solitaire and Spades that you can download to your Palm OS and Windows CE Handhelds. Now you can master these games even when you are away from your computer.
Hoyle Card Games brings you your favorite card games like you've never seen them before. Lively, interactive play and crisp, colorful graphics will make this a favorite for your entire family and a permanent addition to your PC gaming library.