Solitaire Overload

If you’ve ever owned a Windows-based PC, chances are, you’ve played your fair share of Solitaire. This classic single-player card game, technically known as Klondike Solitaire, is merely one of the many, many Solitaire variants (although it’s almost certainly the most well known). Solitaire fans, it’s time to rejoice: Klondike and 100 other variations are now available on your DS, in Telegames’ Solitaire Overload.

The various forms of the game are divided into “families,” including Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, and more. Each family has several individual games, with each offering variations on the family’s basic rules and card layout. While there are some, like the ones I’ve just mentioned, you’ve likely played before (or at least heard of), most of the included variants, like Yukon, Canfield, and Forty Thieves, are more obscure. The game does include rules for every form of Solitaire available, but these rules aren’t very in-depth, and use a ton of Solitaire jargon — so unless you’re already knowledgeable about Solitaire terminology, you’ll likely not find these rules much help. Fortunately, foggy rules are pretty much Solitaire Overload’s only major flaw.

 
Get ready to bone up on your Solitaire terminology if you want to be able to understand the rules.

The game’s menu system is streamlined and easy to navigate. Games can be organized by family, most recently played, or simply alphabetically. All the menus use an easily-navigated style that’s basically ripped directly from Apple’s iPhone (Telegames’ official Web site even makes the comparison), but it certainly works well, even if it’s not the most original. Once you’re actually playing your chosen Solitaire variant, stylus controls make playing easy. All the games are played on the touch screen, with the top screen being dedicated to information on the game, like your current score, total wins/losses on that game, the game’s difficulty, and even a percentage that shows whether the game requires skill, luck, or a little of both to win.

Overload offers plenty of options for players to customize to their liking. Cosmetic options are plentiful, with lots of photographs and other artwork usable as wallpaper while playing, and tons of different card back choices. Players can also customize the game’s soundtrack, creating a playlist from the provided songs. While the easy-listening/new-age music available won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, I found it fit the game perfectly — a relaxing tune can be just what’s needed when the game at hand becomes frustrating, as Solitaire can be sometimes (“Where the heck is the 7 of hearts?!?”). Besides, since there are no real sound effects to speak of, anyone who doesn’t like the musical choices available can simply turn the sound off.

With all the wallpaper options available, everyone can find something that suits them.

Of course, no card-game collection would be complete without the ability to customize the rules, and there are certainly plenty of options along these lines available here. From scoring systems to the number of cards you’re able to draw at a time, every Solitaire variant can be customized to your liking. These changes are saved, as well, so the game remembers that you prefer Vegas-style scoring, single-card drawing, and infinite passes through the deck (for example).  Oddly, one of the most common Klondike rule customizations, whether or not you can bring cards already played on that suit’s Ace back down to the playing field, isn’t changeable (you can’t bring them back down). While this is certainly a strange oversight (and glaringly obvious, since Klondike is the collection’s most well-known game, and most versions of the game allow this), it’s a minor thing, and about the only rule I could find that wasn’t customizable.

Solitaire Overload is far more addictive than it has any right to be. Day after day, I found myself coming back to try just one more variant, or to improve my Klondike win ratio. It may not be the flashiest piece of software available for the DS, but with so many games, variants, and options, it’s an amazing value. There’s a reason these games have been popular for as long as they have — each contains its own unique challenges and strategies. While Solitaire might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking about what DS game to buy next, anyone who plays Solitaire Overload will find an amazing collection with plenty of variety to keep them occupied.

Gameplay: 8.6
Each game presents its own unique challenges to overcome and any number of ways to approach them. Tight, responsive stylus control means these games are as easy as possible to play.

Graphics: 6.8
Solitaire Overload presents its games with a clean, streamlined interface. Plenty of options for wallpaper and card backs are available, so everyone will be able to find something that appeals to them, but nobody would argue that the game’s an amazing visual experience.

Sound: 7.0
Calm, soothing music is perfect for playing the game, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. There aren’t really any sound effects, but it’s a card game — sound effects are unnecessary.

Difficulty: Medium
With 101 games to choose from, everyone will be able to find a game that’s suited to their skill level. The games can be frustrating whenever there’s a decent amount of luck involved, but most variants are more challenging than frustrating.

Concept: 7.5
Solitaire has been popular forever, so video-game versions are inevitable. Collecting this many different variations on one DS card, with this level of customization and ease-of-use, make this a collection that anyone could enjoy.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Solitaire Overload owners can send a full version of any variant to any other DS owner, playable until they power off their system. While there may not be any true multiplayer modes, what else would you expect? It’s Solitaire.

Overall: 8.0
While it may not be as deep as the latest RPG, or as intense as the latest action game, Solitaire is like Tetris: a timeless classic that anyone and everyone can enjoy. When you put this many different versions in such a compact package, it’s an easy recommendation.