Hearts at Play

Posted Sat, 08/18/12

I try to end my work day by playing a few games on the computer, unless I'm too tired to stare at the screen anymore. Solitaire is a favorite, along with the "Dash" games from Play First and hidden object games (Mystery Case Files).

Hearts is another favorite. I've never played the game with real people per say, but rather faced opponents across the computer screen.

Description of "Hearts" from Wikipedia:

Hearts is an "evasion-type" trick-taking card game for four players, although variations can accommodate 3–6 players. The game is also known as Black Lady, The Dirty, Dark Lady, Slippery Anne, Chase the Lady, Crubs, and Black Maria, though any of these may refer to the similar but differently-scored game Black Lady. The game is a member of the Whist family of trick-taking games (which also includes Bridge and Spades), but the game is unique among Whist variants in that it is an evasion-type game—in other words, players have to avoid winning certain cards in tricks.

There are a variety of Hearts versions available (some free, some not). The variant that comes with Microsoft Windows is very bland, paling in comparison to the software offered by Hoyle Card Games. Silver Creek Entertainment has a medieval-themed Hearts game, which is also quite fun.

The Hoyle version of Hearts ranks at the top of my list. You can design a customized avatar within the program (choosing from hair styles, eyes, noses, clothes, accessories, etc), along with five different female and male voices. Opponents have their own dialogue and personalities, which makes the play lively. There is also a wide variety of backgrounds, card backs and sound/music selections to choose from.

Screenshot from Hoyle Hearts (click on image to view larger size in a new window):

Hoyle Card Games: Hearts. Click on image to view larger size in a new window.

The only drawback to Hoyle Games is their lack of customer service. If you ever need help with a technical issue, don't hold your breath waiting for a response.

Tags: Games; Photos & Other Images