Hoyle: Official Book of Games - Volume 3

The Good
The first three Hoyle games from Sierra were released around the late Eighties to early Nineties, and it was the third game that I am more familiar with. It is a series of board games that include Yacht, Pachisi, Backgammon, Dominoes, Checkers, and Snakes and Letters. I am used to some of the games that Hoyle Volume III has to offer.

One to four players can participate in any game, and up to three computer opponents can play as well. Your opponents can be heroes or villains in some of Sierra's popular games. I got this game around '92, the same year that I got my first PC. Back then, I wasn't familiar with all of Sierra's “Quest” games, so I had to get my sister's ex-boyfriend to tell me what games they were from.

Everything visually – from the menus to the game boards – have a cartoony feel to them, as if Sierra wanted to appeal more to kids than adults, and each character featured in the game has their own animations. I enjoy watching Roger Wilco screw his face up when you try to break the rules and how Arnoid flexes his muscles when he loses. The animations on the boards themselves are quite nice, like those hissing snakes in the Snakes and Ladders game.

The game is controlled with the mouse only, and in-game menus can be accessed by dragging the cursor to the top of the screen, allowing you to read the rules, change game options, and access the control panel, among other things. The in-game menu is colorful, indicating the game looks appealing to kids rather than adults. There is one kid game - Snakes and Ladders – that has the characters appearing as boys and girls, not heroes and villains.

During the game, you can read the rules of whatever game you are playing. This is ideal if you just began a new game and want to become familiar with them. Most of the music sounds relaxing. It's as if each piece has been taken out of a Sierra adventure. The sound effects are good as well.

The Bad
I wish there were more games on offer. The rules for Yacht are too confusing and it was difficult for me to follow the examples. There is no music when you're playing, only in the menus.

The Bottom Line
In conclusion, Hoyle Volume III focuses on board games rather than card games that were present in the last two games. There are six games to choose from, in which you can read the rules during a game. You can play with human or computer opponents, with the latter being characters from other Sierra games. The game is designed for kids judging by the colors it uses, and there is some relaxing music. The game is controlled only with the mouse which is okay by me. If you want a Hoyle game that doesn't consists of cards, why not start with the third game in the series?