Action Solitaire Review

After downloading this game the first thing that surprised me was that it was actually 65 games! After reviewing quite a few of them, I realized each game was actually a lot different than the others. Usually when a game is actually several games in one, the games are very similiar, but not with this software. However, since each game was so different (some you had to match opposite colors, some you were matching same suits, etc.), it was sometimes difficult to distguish the differences.

I found that some game options, especially scorpion and montana, were very difficult to get a hang of. The help table was not too helpful due to the fact that words such as 'tableau' were not familiair to me, and it became annoying to have to click on all these words to read their definition in order to understand the main concept of the game, so I gave up. On scorpion, I could not make any moves at all after the first move. I finally realized you must click on the deck to disperse the rest of the cards before you can play further. There's a waste of time. Maybe the game would be easier to get used to if help bubbles popped up letting you know why you can't make a certain move, like in some other card games I have played. I also did not notice a 'hint' button or something of that sort. When I got stuck and couldn't figure out where else I could move, the game did not seem so 'action packed' and it became monotonous to stare at the computer screen. At that point, the game was losing my attention, because I didn't know if it would even let me know if no moves were left or if I was just missing where I could move. People generally play solitare for a more laid back experience and, at times with some game options, I felt it was simply 'too much work' for a game. A level option with easier levels in each game realm may be useful to those who want a more 'laid back' gaming experience.

On the other hand, the interface of the game was excellent. The backgrounds were designed nicely and kept my attention. When scrolling over the icons at the top, it was nice they let me know what they were for before I clicked on them, not all software is like this and you have to play a guessing game as to what a picture may indicate. The concept of the 'timer' makes the game a little more exciting. The game is fairly inexpensive, considering you are actually getting several games for the price.