Kindle Apps Blog

Kids’ Classic Card Games is true to its title.  It includes old familiar card games such as War, Old Maid, Go Fish, and Crazy Eights.

If you aren’t familiar with any of these card games, you can play in tutorial mode.  I used it to refresh my memory on the rules, and to get a feel for how this particular version is played.

In War, you go back and forth comparing the numbers on your cards.  The player who gets the highest card wins and gets all of the cards from that round.  If you both get the same card, it is war.  That just means that you put down three cards face down and one face up.  The winner gets all of the cards.  This cycle goes on until one player gets the whole deck.  It is pretty simple.  I got a little bored with it after awhile.  This particular game just doesn’t have the same feel on the Kindle as it does with physical cards.

Everyone is probably familiar with Go Fish, and lots of kids learn it at a young age.  In Kids’ Classic Card Games you play against three other players.  Use the tutorial to help you leanr how to ask certain players for the cards you need to create matches.

Crazy Eights is a lot like UNO.  You just have to match up your cards with the one in the center pile by suit or number.  Eight is a wild card.  The first player who runs out of cards wins.

Old Maid is pretty simple.  Each player starts with 13 cards, with one holding 14.  The extra one is the Joker, and it doesn’t have a match.   With each turn, you give a card to the player on the left.  All cards that are matched up get discarded.  Once everyone runs out, whoever ends up with the Joker loses and is the Old Maid.

Overall, I thought this game was designed well, and is pretty intuitive as far as navigation goes.  You just use the 5-way toggle, and are playing against the Kindle’s auto generated players.  A couple of additional games to add that might appeal to older kids: Black Jack and Hearts.

Candace Kiekhefer

“I puchased this game today and was not disappointed. I think Sonic Boom did a fine job putting this together. All 4 games use a standard deck of cards to play with. The cards themselves are very clear and easy to read. Each game plays in a timely manner with no lagging on Kindle’s part. There are no complicated control moves to learn. I have played each of the games and they all play the way we all learned how to play them when we were kids.”

Kids Classic Card Games is now compatible with the latest generation keyboardless Kindle.

Jewel Quest Solitaire is a lot of fun, and for newbies to the game, it includes one of the best tutorials I’ve seen so far in the Kindle game collection.

Most of yo are probably familiar with the basic Solitaire game, and its variations.  Jewel Quest Solitaire is a much more interesting form of the game.

Your goal is to remove all of the piles of cards with the highest points possible.  There are different ways to get more points: play cards of the same suit, use the wild cards, and more.

Remove the cards from the piles and put them over the Foundation pile cards in ascending or descending order.  If there aren’t any cards that fit this criteria, then you have to draw ones until they come up.

Jewel Quest Solitaire involves a bit of strategy when you determine what cards to add to the Foundation cards.  Some are stand alones, others reveal more cards.  Check the “rules” section for more information on what the best strategies are.

One added twist on Jewel Quest Solitaire is that it is kind of like a scavenger hunt of sorts.  As you complete each game, you unlock more, and every game gets you close to discovering Professor Percy Pack’s lost jewels.

The newer the Kindle, the better the graphics are going to be.  You use the 5-way toggle button for all navigation.  When you first get into Jewel Quest Solitaire, a tutorial will guide you through each step of the game.

The only major complaint I have about Jewel Quest Solitaire is that sometimes it was hard to see what cards were marked.  So I had to look around to try to find the one that was selected.  Again, this probably is not such a big issue with the newer Kindles that have crisper e-ink displays.

Jewel Quest Solitaire is a really new game: just released in September, 2011.  So, there hasn’t been much time to build up reviews.  I think it will be a big hit, and a fun game for all ages.

slimwolf

“Jewel Quest Solitaire for the kindle is very similar to the PC version of the game which I love. The game movement is very smooth and intuitive and there are 70 unique levels which makes it a great value. If you like solitaire games- this is one of the best on the market.”

Jewel Quest Solitaire is now compatible with the latest generation keyboardless Kindle.

I can definitely see why a vast majority of the reviews for the Kindle version of Slingo say it is addicting.  I would play it all night if I could.

Slingo is a mix of slots and bingo.  You spin the tiles and match them up with the row above it.  There’s a 25 tile grid that is broken up into columns and rows of 5.  All of the tiles have random numbers on them.

Jokers are wild cards.  If you get that in the slot tiles, you can match it up to any of the above tiles.  You can use the Kindle’s 5 way toggle to navigate the game and initiate a spin.

You may also use the Kindle’s keyboard to spin the slots. Press “S”.  That’s the obvious choice.  Speaking of the cursor, I think it needs to be more prominent.  It took me awhile to find it.  That might be different for someone who has normal vision, as opposed to one who is visually impaired.

Aside from the cursor, the graphics are crisp and clear.  The numbers are really easy to see.  At the top, there is a guide that tells you when you’re out of spins, and if you’ve won bonus points.

Ellen Bridges

“I was really surprised to see “SLINGO”, an old favorite of mine, suddenly available for my Kindle. Years ago I had a hand-held version, and to this day it had remained my favorite Slingo. The newer ones have gone off on too many tangents. I’m happy to report that this version of Slingo is almost the same as the original!”

Kindle games have done well in matching the look and feel of old favorites.  I’ve seen this sentiment in quite a few reviews of other Kindle games in addition to  Slingo.

So, to sum it up this is definitely a great game to add to your Kindle game collection.  It is easy to master, addictive, and a fun way to pass the time.

A.M. Hill

“Make sure you have ample battery life, because you’ll be at this for quite some time. I didn’t read any reviews before I bought this, but I wish I had. This is TOTALLY addictive and you won’t be able to stop. I have other games, however none come to mind that I’ve practically spent almost 48 hours playing! Egads, I can’t imagine what Amazon will top this with. Two of my favorites Slots and Bingo? Good luck if you don’t heed the warnings.”