Fairway Solitaire review

Overview

Fairway Solitaire is my new favorite card game! I always enjoyed playing the pre-installed Solitaire game on my Windows computer, so I was looking for something similar to play on my Mac. But even if card games aren't usually your thing, give Fairway Solitaire a shot! My first impression after launching it was that it was very well made: the graphics have a fun, cartoonish feel, the music is relaxing, quality music, the sound effects aren't irritating, and the story doesn't feel contrived. Fairway Solitaire has a golf theme, complete with commentators; this might seem strange at first, but it works quite well and actually makes the game more interesting. In the beginning, you choose a character from a selection of 10 (5 men and 5 women of different ages and races). You will then choose a course to play on; at first only one course is available, and you will need to complete certain objectives to unlock the other courses.

Course selection screen

Here is a quick explanation of what you will find on the course selection screen. Holes: This is the number of games you will need to play to complete this course. Par: You should aim to have a sum of cards left over at the end of each hole lower than this number. Fee: The amount it costs to play the course. Purse: The amount you win if you score under par. Goal: The objective to complete to unlock the next course.

How to play

At the start of each game, a portion of the cards will be laid out face-down in a few rows, with the last card in each row turned face-up. As you progress in the game, the cards will sometimes be laid out in patterns instead of rows, and sometimes a few other cards will also be turned face-up. The remaining cards will be in a draw pile face-down at the bottom of the screen, except for one foundation card which will be face-up next to the draw pile. The aim of the game is to move as many cards as possible from the rows to the foundation card pile. This is accomplished by clicking on cards that are one number higher or lower than the foundation card at the bottom of the screen. For example, if the foundation card is an ace, you can choose either a king or a two to put on top of it, regardless of the suit. When there are no more cards to play, click on the draw pile to get a new foundation card. If you are able to move 6 or more cards in a row, you get a bonus. To undo your last move, click the Mulligan button. You start with only one Mulligan per hole. Sometimes you will find obstacle cards, like sand traps and water hazards. The sand trap cards are yellow, and can only be removed after you have found the sand wedge card. Water hazard cards are blue, and they block access to other cards. You will need to remove all the water hazard cards before you can remove the cards they block. Other cards can help you, like the iron cards and the wild shots. Click on iron cards to turn them into golf irons and add them to your bag. They can be used at any time and act as regular numbered cards. For example, if you click on a 2 iron, it will turn into a card on your foundation pile, and you can play either an ace or a 3 on it. Wild shots, on the other hand, give you a random event which could be either good or bad. You can choose not to play the wild shot if you like, but you will have to discard 2 cards from your draw pile. At the end of each game you earn money according to your score and your bonuses. Your earnings can be used to pay for playing on the later courses, which aren't free like the first few, or for buying clothes for your character. This feature isn't added just to dress up your character - each item of clothing has a specific advantage. Here are a few clothing items and their effects: Mulligan Blouse: gives you an extra mulligan (undo) on each hole Extra Long Skirt: slows down the arrow in Long Drive contests Flip Flop Golf Shoes: 25% of the face-down cards will turn face-up on each hole

Conclusion

Card games have a good longevity, and Fairway Solitaire even more so thanks to it's whopping 70 courses! The golf theme with obstacle cards and bonus cards only makes the game more interesting. I definitely recommend Fairway Solitaire to anyone who likes card games, and urge you to try the demo even if you usually don't. I'm sure you won't regret it!