By Brad Cook

Sure, your iPod comes with solitaire among its complement of pre-loaded games, but true card game aficionados will want to give themselves a treat fit for a king and download Royal Solitaire. With ten variants to choose from, you won’t get bored any time soon.

This collection’s assortment features ten classics of the genre: Aces Up, Beleaguered Castle, Canfield, Free Cell, Golf, Klondike (the classic most people are familiar with), Peaks, Pyramid, Scorpion, and Yukon. Each comes with full instructions, along with the ability to quickly save and exit your progress, or ask for a new deal if the current game is a lost cause. You can even replay the current hand from the beginning, if you realize you made the wrong decision several moves back. If you catch yourself at the moment you err, however, simply hold the center button for two seconds to undo the move.

Royal Solitaire tracks your time spent playing each game type, as well as your score. The statistics screen lets you know how long you’ve been playing altogether, along with your best time, number of moves, and number of games started and finished for each variant. See if you can beat your best numbers.

A Courtly Theme

As you might expect, Royal Solitaire also features a courtly theme, with animated kings, queens, and jacks who guide you through the menus. A 21st century version of medieval music accompanies the visuals, which include a black gloved hand for choosing and moving your cards. A magical flourish heralds a new deal of the deck, while the cards turn over with a satisfying flick, as if they’re real.

Card games have been around since the Middle Ages, but they’re still the perfect on-the-go entertainment on your iPod, which actually occupies slightly less physical space than a 52-card deck. So try your luck and play the hand you’re dealt; you may receive a congratulatory thumbs-up from the king, if you’re successful.

Tips and Tricks

• Sometimes the most obvious move isn’t always the best one, especially if you’re playing a game, such as Klondike, where you’ve gone through the deck once and know that a better choice — one that won’t be possible if you make the current move — is coming up.
• To learn more about the solitaire variants in this collection, visit these pages:
  • Aces Up
  • Beleaguered Castle
  • Canfield
  • FreeCell
  • Golf
  • Klondike
  • Peaks
  • Pyramid
  • Scorpion
  • Yukon

iPod Games FAQ

Do you have questions regarding any of the iPod games available from the iTunes Store?

Scale Those Mountains. Killing some time with Peaks, one of ten solitaire variants.

More iPod Games