QuickAdvice: Add Sparkle To Your Solitaire Game With Awesome Solitaire - Plus, Win a Copy!

If you’re like me, Solitaire has been a staple on your iDevice since the first one you owned, and it was a staple on your computer before iDevices existed. Depending on your age, perhaps it was even a staple with your deck of cards before computers were such an integrated part of everyday life. I like to install a fresh new Solitaire app from time to time as I get tired of the same old, same old. This sparkly version fits the bill. And yes, it still works on earlier models, although some of the effects had to be toned down for performance reasons on the iPhone 3G.

Game play is very simple and familiar. First, go to settings and choose Draw 1 or Draw 3. Then select Mundane (but why would you?) or Awesome graphics. Start your game, and you’ll notice the starry background moves gyroscopically when you move your iDevice around. As you play, you get encouraging words (En fuego! Solid! Cunning!) and sometimes starry bursts when you make your moves. Your score is a dollar amount; the farther you get in the game, the more “money” you earn.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to the feel of the game -- dragging and dropping must be easy and intuitive -- I don’t want to have to THINK about the logistics of doing that. It should just flow from the mind to the finger. This app does a nice job with that.

If you’ve never played Solitaire before, the Help screen does a nice job of explaining how to play.

You can check your stats -- wins/losses, how much “money” you’ve earned, and how much time you’ve frittered away on Awesome Solitaire (if you really want to know).

I spoke with Wolter Group’s Creative Director, Ethan Miller, about some the things I would like to see. I would like the option of playing in landscape mode, but Ethan tells me that solitaire doesn’t work that well in landscape mode, as the stacks get too long to fit on the screen. They won’t rule it out, but they won’t add a landscape option until they figure out a really elegant way to do it.

I find it a little odd that this game is completely silent. Now, I don’t want or need nerve-jangling music like in the developer’s own slightly cheesy video that I’ve included below. If I want music I can use my own. But, a subtle sound effect as you move the cards around, like most Solitaire apps have, would be nice. The developer tells me that many folks have asked for that sound effect, and so there is something “awesome” in the works. Also, I thought it would be neat to have choices of different backgrounds and card patterns -- Ethan told me to stay tuned!

Expect an update within the month that will include Gamecenter achievements, better statistics, and other goodies.

Awesome Solitaire is not reinventing the wheel. It is good old-fashioned solitaire, just with a playful and lovely UI not seen in every other other solitaire app.

***Retweet or leave a comment below to win a copy! The contest ends 10/31 at 11:59 AM PDT. There are five promo codes, so that means we have five unique winners. Must have a US iTunes account to redeem promo code. Good luck!