User Reviews (1 - 11 of 41)

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Two New Card Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 168 / 174
Date: October 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

good value

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 70 / 76
Date: November 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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

Great Investment

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: October 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

Needs more intelligence

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: December 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

Very addicting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: October 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was so happy to see Hoyle come out with a new version, and boy is it better. A lot more games and new characters. You can even create a character that actually looks like you. This is great when nobody in the house feels like playing cards. I play it CONSTANTLY...in fact, I gotta go play some cribbage right now.

This program can play cards.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: October 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

Hoyle Card Games 2005

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: September 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The content of the program is good - a lot of good games - easy enough to use. HOWEVER, the software has some bugs in it. The proper number of cards is not always dealt correctly to the players. The biggest problem is in the game of Spades. Consequently the game being played cannot be completed. I have used the repair function but it has not solved the problem

Laptops and Tables are NOT Supported

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 23 / 33
Date: January 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

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.

Horrendously poor gameplay -- inexplicably bad

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 25 / 38
Date: April 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I was sorely disappointed by this game. One star is really too much for the game, but it's the lowest I'm allowed to give. I purchased it primarily to play double-deck pinochle, but I thought some other games might be fun, too.

I don't consider myself to be a master of cards, but the gameplay is so poor that it's almost unplayable. Your partner has no idea how to recognize a meld bid. For some mysterious reason, your partner begins bidding you up by fives (or fifties, since Hoyle multiplies all scores by ten for some reason) when it is just the two of you bidding. Leadbacks during play are pointless.

I used to have a pinochle game in which I could change the settings: how to respond to a meld bid; how to play under various circumstances, et cetera. In this case, your options are essentially "Easy" (your opponents play intentionally trying to lose); "Normal" (there's no team play, but at least no one is randomly throwing a second ace on a trick); or "Hard" (in which the primary difference seems to be that you and your partner are out-melded by roughly 200 points every hand.)

I also played some euchre. For reasons that are not clear to me, the game doesn't follow the rules! Playing the highest trump in a trick does not necessarily take the trick.

The graphics/animations/music are roughly 5-8 years from being current. I could tolerate that if the play were better. First of all, you're playing cards: how much animation do you need? Second of all, it's from Hoyle. You'd think above all else they'd have the rules and gameplay down, even if the presentation was a little dated.

Overall, this was a terrible disappointment. I paid $20. It wouldn't have been worth it in the $3.99 bin. Oh, well. I should have looked here first. Don't make the mistake I made!

Sadly, since it has Hoyle's name on it, I am sure it will sell well.

Best yet with lots of room to improve.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: May 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the best version of Hoyle cards yet. All games play reasonably well. There is still a lot of improvement needed in the bidding and play of the hands in Bridge, Pinochle, Spades, and Euchre. The new Hoyle Bucks adds some new purpose in trying to win. If you are into playing cards, this is the best bang for the buck.

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