Card Games: Hoyle 2004 Edition

18 Classic Games!: Card Games is an updated re-issue of Hoyle Card Games and has much in common with both the 1999 and 2002 versions of the title. Games such as War for example look virtually unchanged.

This release contains all the games of the 2002 release. It also has the games that can be installed on the Palm OS, the Facemaker option etc, internet play etc. The game interface has changed so the main menu looks different and the Facemaker option allows for greater customisation.

The main new feature in this version is 'Hoyle Bucks'. This is system where the player can earn points, Hoyle Bucks, by achieving certain goals in each game. These points can be used to buy alternate backgrounds, card backs, music tracks, ornaments etc that can be used in the game. There are three parts to this system, the Hoyle Bucks Guide which lists the achievements and how many points each will earn, the Hoyle Bucks Catalog which shows what is available to buy, and the Hoyle Bucks Ledger which shows points accumulated and what they have been spent on.

Al games have a quick in-game guide and a detailed guide which opens in a browser window, the more complex games Bridge, Canasta, Gin, hearts and Spades also have full audio tutorials. The Bridge game available in this collection is a single player game that is a 'Bridge lite' implementation. All the bidding and playing is present but there's no mention of a bidding standard such as American or Acol nor are there any options to toggle conventions such as Blackwood or Stayman on/off.

Some of the twelve AI opponents are the same as in previous games, the bear, the alien, the dinosaur etc while others seem to have had a makeover, same name but new hairdo. All AI opponents have a background biography and during lulls in the game there are little animations, for example one juggles and the alien listens to music through earphones. They all talk and make comments but their behaviour can be customised to 'serious' which minimises this feature. They have no customisable skill setting but the player can specify their skill level..

The full list of games is: Bridge, Canasta, Crazy Eights, Cribbage, Euchre, Gin Rummy, Go Fish, Hearts, Memory Match a one or two player Concentration game, Old Maid, Pinochle a two or four player game, Pitch, Poker, Skat, Solitaire, Spades, Tarot - a trick taking game not the fortune telling kind, and War.
The Solitaire games available are:* Single Deck Games: Aces Up, Baker's Dozen, Baroness, Beleagured Castle, Betsy Ross, Bowling, Bristol, Calculation, Canfield, Clock, Cribbage Square, Eagle Wing, Eight Off, Eliminator, Euchre, Flowr Garden, Fortress, Four Free, Four Seasons, Gaps, Golf, Klondike, La Belle Lucie, Nestor, Penguin, Poker Square, Pyramid, Scorpion, Seahaven Towers, Shamrocks, Slide, Spiderette, Strategy, Triplets, and Yukon

• Double Deck Games: Aces & Kings, Alhambra, Batsford, Colorado, Forty Thieves, Mount Olympus, Red & Black, Spider, Sultan nd Terrace

• Arcade Games: 3 Towers, Best 21, Fast 21, Pick 2, and Sum 11