The Main Menu screen will allow you to select from "PLAY GAME", "GAME CREDITS", "ABOUT HOYLE", "TUTORIAL", "GLOSSARY", and "QUIT." The Glossary defines standard terms used in solitaire.
Game Selection Screen
The "PLAY GAME" button places you into the Game Selection screen which lists the 28 solitaire games available. To choose a game, left mouse click on the title of the game you want to play. You can also use the "Tab" and "shift-Tab" keys to cycle forward and backward through the titles; use "Enter" to select the game. The game selection screen will also display a diamond symbol next to any game that has been won. You can hone your card flicking skills by clicking on the "CARD FLICK" icon.
Card Flick
Whenever you win a game, you will have the opportunity to "Take a Shot" - flicking a card into a "hat". Successfully flicking a card from a moving hand into a "hat" rewards you with an animation. Left mouse click when you want the hand to flick the card. You can hone your card flicking skills by clicking on the "CARD FLICK" button in the Game Selection screen. Watch out! It is quite addicting! Note: If Card Flick performance is slow, turning the background music off may help speed up animations.
Solitaire Game play Overview
In general, a solitaire game begins with cards laid out in a Tableau (original layout). Game play begins by clicking on a Stock pile (undealt cards), to turn up new cards as you try to build up Columns of cards which match in rank, color, suit, etc... Cards from the Columns are usually played to Foundations, which are designated on the Game screen by "marbled" card shapes. Hitting the "Tab" key while in a Game screen will display labels over the different components (e.g. the Foundation) of the Game screen. The "GLOSSARY" available from the Main Menu screen defines useful Solitaire terms.
Selecting Cards
In general, cards are moved via the "drag and drop" method. To move a card in this manner, place your cursor on the desired card and select it by depressing the left mouse button; keeping the button depressed, move the card to the desired spot and release the button. Any differences from the "drag and drop" method (e.g. to move pairs to a Foundation) are described in the Rules for each game. Often, pointing at the desired card and clicking the right mouse button will provide a shortcut way to move a card to a desired position, such as to a Foundation. Specific right mouse click functions are described in the Rules for each game. When necessary, you may peek at the bottom card of a Foundation by clicking on the Foundation.
Resign Icon
Click on the "Resign" icon on the Game screen when you are ready to resign the current hand and try the same game again. Your score statistics are accumulated throughout a game session when you use the Resign icon. See "OPTION" Button and "QUIT" Button descriptions above for information on how to save score statistics between game sessions.
Undo Icon
Click on the "Undo" icon on the Game screen to undo your last move. You can normally undo as many moves as you want.
Using HELP for Menus
Each Game screen has a "Button Bar" on the bottom of the screen which allows you to easily access a number of menus. Most menus in Hoyle Solitaire (e.g. "Control" menu or "Options" menu) have a "HELP" button. To use HELP, click on the "HELP" button. Your cursor will turn into a "?". Position the "?" over a topic or feature (such as a slider bar) and left mouse click to access HELP for that topic or feature.
"RULES" Button
When you have chosen a game, the on-line rules for that game can be accessed by left mouse clicking on the "RULES" button on the button bar at the bottom of the Game screen. It is highly recommended that you read these rules prior to playing each game.
"ROOM" Button
You may choose from an assortment of backgrounds, background music and card deck styles. To do this, left mouse click on the "ROOM" button on the button bar at the bottom of the Game screen.
"CONTROL" Button
The "CONTROL" button places you into a menu where you can adjust the game volume and pace, as well as set other options. The "TUTORIAL" button in this menu allows you to select whether or not tutorial messages are shown when invalid plays are attempted. For more assistance, use HELP within the Control menu as described above. Music is available on the CD-ROM version only. Note: Changing between Timer modes resets the score statistics for that game.
"OPTIONS" Button
The "OPTIONS" button places you into a menu where you can make game specific choices, such as toggling between "Easy" and "Difficult" play mode. The "SAVE STATS" button in this menu allows you to save your cumulative score statistics for a specific game. Use the "RESTORE" button to restore your score statistics when you re-enter the game. This menu also allows you to redeal or replay a hand without affecting your score statistics. Note that some setting changes restart the game being played. For more assistance, use HELP within the Option menu as described above. Note: Changing between "Easy" and "Difficult" play resets the score statistics for that game.
"SCORE" Button
The "SCORE" button shows your current point score for the game being played, as well as your overall average score. These statistics are normally cleared each time you leave a game session, but you can save your score statistics between game sessions. See "OPTION" Button and "QUIT" Button descriptions for more information. Note: Changing between "Easy" and "Difficult" play modes (Option menu) and between Timer modes (Control menu) resets the score statistics for that game.
"QUIT" Button
The "QUIT" button allows you to select a different game or quit Hoyle Solitaire altogether. Click on the "SAVE STATS" button in this menu to save your score statistics for the game session just completed.
