Hoyle Card Games 2003

You're granted a wealth of new possibilities for the facemaker, but you lose much ability to control and save your newly made face.

Additionally, while I am glad to see Gax and Ethel go, the new characters are generally dreadful! Their names are terrible, their sentences are terrible. And Elayne's new hair don't. Oi.

This game does have some improvements: You are now allowed to reshuffle discards in crazy 8's, and you may now play Omnibus (jack of diamonds) hearts. But, those game upgrades are the only reason I gave it 2 stars.

You'd be best off to stick to the versions that came out in the last couple of years before this one. Maybe the new one coming out will be better. But don't count on it.


Hoyle Does Great Games!   February 18, 2003
 44 out of 50 found this review helpful

Though I have the older version of this game...1999 or 2000, I have used it on Windows 98, 98 Second Edition, Windows ME and now, for a new system, Windows XP Home Edition...and it works on all of them! (It's a bit slow to react on the Windows XP...probably because the XP computer has a 2.4ghz P4 and the Windows XP is a bit different platform than the other Windows OS...plus, this was made before the Pentium 4 processors even came out...but it works fine otherwise.)

The graphics are great, the interaction with the players is loads of fun...especially Marvin, the T-rex...("stick a fork in me, I'm done", when he's losing!) There are different levels of skill for each game, as well, which is super...and the expert-level player is really pretty good!

You have a wide variety of card games to choose from...Solitare has numerous styles, Spades, Hearts, Pinochle, Pitch, Euchre, Bridge, Crazy Eights, Old Maid, Fish, etc...and there are enough different computerized players to always keep it interesting. You can even play against a real person, if you want! You choose the level of skill, amount of animation and how much they talk during play, as well as whether you want background music and what style.

I have honed my card-playing skills on this game for over 3 years and find it to be one of the best investments I made for my computer. You and your family will love this game!


Bridge   February 16, 2003
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Like another reviewer. I found that this game needs a lot of work. While playing the game is fun, the biggest problem is that the partner fails to bid with good cards, bids with bad ones, and does not follow the conventions provided in the game's help package! This game should be revised as an offering by itself, I would be prepared to pay more, if it simulated correct bidding. With Vb.Net and the collection objects, programmuing this game should be much simpler than in the past.


Disappointing Bridge Software   January 17, 2003
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I had hoped for an even better Bridge section on this 2003 (vs. 1996) Hoyle Bridge game CD. You can have a lot of fun creating your computer players with a wide selection of facial, hair, and clothing styles. But when you play the game, there is no fun left---you are unable to easily replay a game--can't redo the bidding--and the bidding used by your "partner" does not correspond to the accepted conventions or even basic bridge play! Lots of visual razzle dazzle with very little content!


Disappointing Bridge Software   January 17, 2003
 12 out of 13 found this review helpful

I had hoped for an even better Bridge section on this 2003 (vs. 1996) Hoyle Bridge game CD. You can have a lot of fun creating your computer players with a wide selection of facial, hair, and clothing styles. But when you play the game, there is no fun left---you are unable to easily replay a game--can't redo the bidding--and the bidding used by your "partner" does not correspond to the accepted conventions or even basic bridge play!!! Lots of visual razzle dazzle with very little content!!!