The version of Solitaire that we all know, the one we have all wasted countless hours on on our Windows PCs, is called Klondike. This is the classic version, but not the best.
For our money, the most exhilarating and challenging way to play Solitaire is FreeCell, and FreeCell Challenge is the best way to play.
Developed by the entrepreneurs behind Solitaired – the vast collection of card sorting released last year – FreeCell Challenge goes for depth rather than breadth, taking a single version of Solitaire and polishing it to a high sheen.
In case you are not up to your deck of cards, FreeCell sees you sorting the cards into ordered stacks by number and color. To do this, you must first organize them into columns made up of cards with alternating colors.
Unlike the Klondike, in FreeCell the entire game is distributed at the start of the game, in eight random columns. Obviously, you can only access the map at the top of each of these columns, so it’s hard to make matches.
In fact, it would be next to impossible to complete a game if you didn’t also have access to four cells, where you can temporarily store cards while juggling them. The major challenge for FreeCell is to use these cells sparingly and to plan your trips carefully.
While most Solitaire games are largely about luck of the draw, FreeCell is almost entirely a game of skill. That’s why we love him.
Like Solitaired before it, FreeCell Challenge has an added twist in the form of customizable decks.
Working with a variety of august institutions, including the Encyclopedia Britannica and MIT, developers Darshan Somashekar and Neal Taparia have created a range of decks celebrating important figures and movements in history.
There is a Women’s Hall of Fame presentation, a Heroes of Space & Flight platform, a platform celebrating notable women in IT, another celebrating the heroes of the civil rights movement, a presentation showcasing some inspiring inventors, and more.
It’s a fabulous use of this whole area of playing cards, and we’re excited to see what other themes pop up in the future.
Play FreeCell Challenge for free now online and on the Google play store.