App Review: Classic Solitaire

Want to see a review of a specific app? contact us.

Here is another App Review for you from The Mx Web.  I chose Classic Solitaire by WiMesh Solutions which currently has four Apps in the App Catalog.  I sought out to find a good Klondike Solitaire option for my Pre and with 9 different options ranging from Free to $2.99, I went with Classic Solitaire for $1.99 and feel it was a solid choice.  I've always been a sucker for killing time on a computer with Solitaire and this lets me bring it mobile!

Initial Thoughts:

I actually went with this option because I felt the interface looked more polished and complete than some of the other ones available.  I was concerned as I read some

negative reviews in which people condemned this App because it does not support the drag and drop method on the cards.  This concerned me as well initially because I'd already played around with a homebrew Solitaire that did support drag and drop and thought that was the way to go.  This App uses a tapping method which I've actually grown to like even better.  I believe the tapping method is both faster and more accurate.  It's actual gameplay is also limited to landscape mode only but portrait mode would be entirely too cramped in my honest opinion and I prefer landscape anyway so that is no cause of concern.

Gameplay:

Let's talk about the gameplay!  As I mentioned above, this uses a tapping method so you simply tap a card to select it and then tap the destination in which you want to move it to.  So in the left screenshot, I'd tap that black Ace and then tap one of the 4 available foundation spots above and it would move there.  So, if you have several cards in a set that you wish to move all at once, you tap top card of the set, which selects the whole set, and then tap the destination.  They will all move rather than just the top.  See the screenshot to the right:  I want to move that set of 3 cards including the King over to the left on the open spot, so I tap the red Jack of Diamonds which highlights the whole set, and then tap the empty spot and it moves them all.  You can configure the stock pile to be either 3 or 1 card at a time. 

One feature I think this game lacks would be to auto flip the new card after you've moved the one covering it.  It just shows the back of the card and causes an extra tap and that is my minor gripe.  You can see what I mean over on the left screenshot.  For a feature that I really like, if you have a card that is ready to be placed up in one of the upper 4 foundations, you can highlight the card by first tapping it, and then just do a quick up-screen slide gesture much like you are flicking the card away as you'd do to close an App in WebOS.  It'll automatically flick up to the foundation spot in which it belongs!

From the Options screen, you can change the background color as well as brightness.  The rusty orange/brown is the default but you see I played with some blue looks from a few of the screenshots.  This is also where you'd change the cards to deal and default orientation.  The game also keeps track of your time and score and has a Highscores page in the main menu.

Value:

Coming in at only $1.99, I feel this App is worth every cent.  Sure there is a free one and one for 99cents but they don't come with the polished feel that this one sports.  You'll also get free updates and while I'm reviewing version 1.0.1, they have already submitted version 1.0.2 to the catalog and you can find the changes here: http://www.wimesh.net/wimesh/solitaire-for-webos

Conclusion:

Classic Solitaire will allow you to enjoy killing some time on your WebOS device for any true Solitaire junky out there!  I've found myself playing it while riding with some friends in a car and everyone wants to watch.  It is well built, and looks polished. I do hope they add an option to auto flip the next cards as well as an option to save a game.  I'd give it 5 stars if they'd add those missing features.