Hoyle Card Games 2005

Rating:
Summary: This program can play cards.
Review: I played the poker and hearts games right away, and was very impressed with the competition. I liked the build-a-player feature where you can create your character with any look you want from dozens of choices. The computer players each have their own personalities and are pretty funny.
The game has quite a bit of choices to customize the look, feel, and sound (The betting chips in the poker game I played consisted of cheese puffs, pretzels, dog bones, etc.) There are 13 poker variations, plus 20 complete games to play. Well worth the investment.

Rating:
Summary: Laptops and Tables are NOT Supported
Review: I travel a great deal, so I purchased this product to use while I'm sitting in airports and hotel rooms. My issue was that I don't travel with a CD player, so I couldn't load the disc as the program starts. When I called their technical support, they told me that (a) that copy protection can't be circumvented and (b) laptop and tablet devices are not supported by their product.

To quote from their support site at: http://support.encoreusa.com/product.asp?id=2091, "(2) Laptops not supported"

So for me the game is absolutely useless.

Rating:
Summary: Great Investment
Review: I was reticent about buying this after the reviews of 2004. I have often bought each updated version. One thing I like about this is that it is 20 bucks instead of 30 like the previous versions were. I think there is a good cross section of games as well as a good format for solitare. The music is good. I also like the way one can accumulate Hoyle bucks to buy new backgrounds, cards, etc. It gives an added incentive to play the games.I haven't been smart enough to figure out the more complex games but I like the characters. Sierra no longer exists as it's company was restructured so I recommend buying this while it is available. Hoyle has been the best in terms of software stability, presentation, and variety of various games. Friday Night Poker which was included wasn't that great. I don't play that stuff. The 20 dollars for the main disk is well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Great game
Review: This game is great, and you can install it all to your hard drive , so you dont have to mess with the cd. takes 550 mgs of room . well worth the price if you like card games.....

Rating:
Summary: good value
Review: This is a fun game and the price is right. 33 card games total. Installation was a breeze. I don't know how to play some of the games included but this will serve as a training tool for me to learn. It features in-game tutorials & tips. I only wish there were more choices to customize the look of your player. Bare bones inside the box, no CD cases for the 2 discs & no manual at all. works on windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Rating:
Summary: Needs more intelligence
Review: This is not a package of games for serious card players. There is not enough 'intelligence' built into the game to suit individuals looking for challenging matches in games such as Bridge, Spades, Pinochle, etc. The game's players often make plays that can only be described as 'stupid' and there are no, or sufficient, settings available to increase their playing abilities. If you are an excellent card player, this package will provide much frustration. If you are looking for something for the kids or novice players, this package is fine.

Rating:
Summary: Two New Card Games
Review: While the 2005 version is much the same as 2004, there are two new games. Spite & Malice and 500 Rummy have been added to the mix. In addition, while there are no new characters to play with, the Facemaker has several new characters that can be bought with Hoyle Bucks. These, like the others, can talk and are animated.

One major improvement is that after installation, the games can now be played without the CD.

Still great fun. Highly recommended.