Solitaire

Review by eFreeware

If you already know how Klondike works and want a version on your phone that doesn't ask much of you, this is the sort of app that fits. LinkDesks' Solitaire is a free card game for Android, rated for Everyone, and it has drawn more than five million installs with a 4.7 average across 70,371 ratings. It has been on Google Play since March 2021.

What it gives you is the standard deal: move every card onto four foundations, one suit each, running from ace to king. The developer keeps the framing simple, describing it as a way to relax and stay mentally engaged. Nothing about the package suggests it is trying to reinvent the card game, and for this genre that is usually the right call.

The game is free to download and supported by ads. There are no in-app purchases, so there is no shop to browse and nothing to spend on once you have it. For a game you might open for ten minutes at a time, that structure makes sense.

What separates it from a plain deck of cards

You can change the card themes and the backgrounds behind the table, which matters more than it sounds when you are looking at the same layout night after night. There is also a font size option, useful on smaller screens or for anyone who finds standard card faces hard to read.

Two settings change how the game plays rather than how it looks. You can choose between flipping one card at a time or three, which is the difference between a gentler puzzle and a stricter one. Separately, you can pick between deals that are winnable and fully random ones, so you decide whether you want a guaranteed path to the end or the occasional dead end.

Left-handed mode is included as well. It is a small thing, but it shows the developer thought about how people actually hold a phone while playing one-handed.

Daily challenges and the Puzzle Room

Daily challenges give the game a reason to be opened on a schedule rather than only when you are stuck waiting somewhere. They sit alongside the standard deals, so you can dip into a fresh puzzle each day or ignore them entirely and keep playing the way you always have.

The most recent update added two new graphics to the Puzzle Room. That suggests the Puzzle Room is a space the developer intends to keep adding to, though the notes don't explain what those graphics are or how the room is used, so I'd treat it as a detail to discover after installing rather than a headline feature.

Between the daily challenges and the two deal modes, there is enough variation to keep a routine from feeling identical every time, which is often what separates a game you keep on your phone from one you delete after a week.

Undo, tips and learning the rules

Undo and tips are both unlimited and free, which removes the usual friction in this genre. If you move a card and immediately regret it, you can take it back. If you can't see a legal move, you can ask for a hint without worrying about running out of them.

For anyone who has never played Klondike, or who played years ago and has forgotten the sequence, the game includes a guide that walks through the rules. The developer points out that this is one of the simpler card games to pick up, and the guide is there for the parts that aren't obvious at first.

The combination is forgiving in a way I appreciate. Unlimited undo means a single misjudged move doesn't cost you the whole deal, and unlimited tips mean a stuck board is a pause rather than a dead end.

Playing without a connection

The game is playable offline and does not need wifi or mobile data. That is the feature I would weigh most heavily if I were choosing between this and another solitaire app, because it means the game works on a flight, in a basement, or anywhere the signal drops.

The developer also describes it as playable in both online and offline modes, so a connection isn't required either way. For a game built around short sessions, that flexibility is the point.

Offline play also means you aren't waiting on a server to deal a hand.

How the game looks and feels

The developer emphasizes crisp, easy-to-read cards and a clean graphic design, and the customization options back that up. Between themes, backgrounds and font size, you can adjust the table to something your eyes are comfortable with.

I'd expect the default look to be legible on most phones, since readability is one of the things the developer calls out. The theme options are there if you want something other than the standard green felt and white cards.

None of this is flashy. It is the kind of polish that mostly goes unnoticed when it is done well and becomes annoying when it isn't.

The audience this fits

This is a game for people who want a familiar card game and nothing more complicated than that. It suits anyone who played Klondike on a computer years ago and wants the same experience on a phone, as well as younger players trying it for the first time.

It also suits players who want a game that works without a connection and doesn't demand daily attention. The daily challenges are there if you want them, but the standard deals are always available.

The 4.7 average across more than 70,000 ratings suggests the formula has landed with a large audience. That doesn't guarantee it will suit you, but it does suggest the basics are handled competently.

A dependable pick for casual card players

Solitaire by LinkDesks is a straightforward Klondike game with a generous set of options and no purchases to worry about. The offline play, unlimited undo and tips, and the choice between one-card and three-card flips cover the settings most players actually care about.

The ads are part of the package, since the game is free and ad-supported. If you can live with that, what's left is a clean, customizable version of a game you probably already know how to play.

I'd suggest it to anyone who wants a reliable solitaire app for short sessions, especially if they play in places where a connection isn't available. It isn't trying to be more than it is, and for this genre that is a reasonable approach.

What's new in version 5.13.1

Solitaire - 2 New graphics in Puzzle Room