Hearts (PC) (Hearts (PC))

Member Name: thole09

Product:	Hearts (PC)
Date:	20/09/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple, Somewhat consistent graphics

Disadvantages: Lack of audio cues

Hearts is a card game released for the personal computer as part of the Windows operating system. Its history is erratic as the game has been seen on early Windows releases such as Windows For Workgroups 3.1 but is absent from more mainstream releases such as Windows 2000. I was not able to immediately find an age rating for this game but it's likely that it would be found suitable for all ages.

Hearts is a card game which rewards the cunning. It is a four player game which features one human player and four computer opponents. Each hand begins with 13 cards dealt at random and the player must "pass" three unwanted cards to a nearby player. In return, the player will receive three unwanted cards from another player. The objective of the game is to avoid scoring points while forcing an opponent above the 100 point threshold. Scoring ascends when a player receives a card from the heart suit (1 point) or the Queen of Spades (13 points). To play the game itself, the leading player will present a card and the other three players will present a card of the same suit. If the same suit is not available, a player may play a card from any other suit. From the four cards presented, the highest card from the leading suit receives the offering and any points accordingly.

The system requirements to run this game are very low. As this game comes pre-installed with many Windows operating systems, the requirements to play this game have already been satisfied if the operating system itself runs. For specific numbers users may consult documentation but this isn't necessary. For those interested, I found Hearts required 3,876 K of memory when running as an active process in Windows XP Home Edition. This is quite a low number and shouldn't strain even the most basic of hardware configurations.

The graphics of Hearts are comparable to that of Solitaire. The game begins with a green screen similar to a Las Vegas style card table and presents the player's cards on the bottom. He or she is surrounded by three computer opponents on each side of the table, effectively creating a square of cards. The card deck image cannot be altered and features a conservative image of clouds. The cloud image is actually quite similar to something I remember out of Microsoft Windows 95. The card images are readable close up but I found it difficult to read them from a further distance. This is possibly due to their close proximity to one another and slightly smaller size than other popular Windows card games. Nonetheless, the majority of users should not experience great difficult in differentiating the various cards. The game does not include any sound effects or music so would be suitable for areas requiring quiet or silence.

Overall, Hearts is a simple card game and an acceptable addition to many Windows game bundles. Those interested in the card game would likely find this to be an entertaining break, and it may even engage those who are not familiar with the game at all.

Summary: Thumbs up