Cheap Hoyle Card Games 2003 (Software) (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP, Macintosh, Windows 2000) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Hoyle Card Games 2003

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!

Buy older versions
This version is a complete letdown from the last version, Hoyle card games 5 (or 2002).

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 Card Games 2003
Euchre:
I basically play euchre when my phone line is tied up. Otherwise I play on Yahoo!

Overall, Hoyle isn't too bad, but I find that even on the "advanced" setting, your partner is too timid, mostly by failing to lead trump on your call or order. However, they often order up from first with 2 bowers and no support, when they could have had 3 or 4 trump by passing for "next".

Also, 1st chair never donates.

Unrealistic loners, the computer often takes trick 1 with trump or off Ace, and properly leads the Right, but then leads offsuit to give the opps a chance to stop the loner. Even when holding JJ9, AK.

Pinochle:

In viewing the meld, you gain additional information that can be used later in the gameplay. The computer never makes use of this. Say your P in double-deck has 3 aces of diamonds (which you only know after the fact) and you make diamonds trump with a run (so the computer should know you have the 4th ace). You lead the Qd. Your P should play the 10 of diamonds and lead back at least 2 ace of diamonds before playing other suits.

Also, in the bidding, if you are in a game to 3550 and both teams have around 3000, you cannot count on your P to bid even if you have no marriage yourself. This is very frustrating because you now have to bid a lot more. I think it is so the player can have the glory, but I want the computer to play with the understanding that you must bid to win.