Review: THIEVES AND KINGS

Anyone who has followed my posts since I’ve written for Palm Addict knows that I love to play games on my PDAs. I go through phases of being hooked on different games, but there are a few that are always at the top of my list of favorites. The one that has most consistently been on every list is the great solitaire game Thieves, from thievesandkings.com. I found this game early on in my Palm Addict days thanks to Sammy’s recommendation. Thieves “stole” my attention from the first time I played it, and no solitaire game has ever come close to capturing my interest as completely as Thieves has done.

A few weeks ago, as I was happily playing a game of Thieves, it dawned on me that though I have mentioned it many times, I have never done an official review of my fave game! I contacted the author Paul DeWolf, to ask if he would mind if I reviewed the game for Palm Addict. It has been a pleasure to meet him, and he has been extremely helpful in answering my questions. And, the good news is, as if my favorite game weren’t already perfect, he has just completed developing an awesome new improved high-resolution Palm version! The new high-res graphics are outstanding, and this new version also keeps track of all time, monthly and weekly scores.

Thieves is simple but highly addictive. It is a version of Golf solitaire, though one of the distinctive features of Thieves is that it includes wild cards. The object is to empty the 35 card table by building on the waste pile. Cards may be removed from the bottom row, and can be of any suit as long as they are one value greater or lower than the card on the waste pile. Unlike some versions of Golf, Aces are low, and Kings are high, and there is no circular building on either. The wild cards, or jokers, add just the right touch to make the game even more fun. They can be saved for the right moment, or used to get a long run of cards off the table. My favorite situation is to have a joker on the top row. This I save, no matter what, hoping I get down to one card. In that situation, it is a certain key to moving to the next level.

Another unique element of this game is that once a table is cleared, you keep your accumulating score, and a new table appears as you advance to the next level. This is evident by the different color of each new background. The new level has the same setup as the prior table, however with each successive level advancement, there is one less wild card in play. I have made it as far as the 4th level, though even getting to the 3rd, is an accomplishment. Strategy is essential, and it is important to not only get long runs of cards, but it is also critical to try to remove the cards from each row fairly equally. It requires careful judgment when deciding which to remove when there are 2 possible choices. Often it is clear that one choice will set up a possible future run, or another might even up the numbers in the rows.

I love this game because it is the perfect mix of luck and strategy. It is a great game to pick up when you have just a few minutes to play a game. The Palm version is helpful here, in that if you are interrupted, it remains where you left off, and you can resume play at a later time. But, if you are like me, if time permits, you will spend far longer than a few minutes playing “just one more hand.” Somehow when a hand ends, win or lose, you are sure that the next one will be a winner! I think part of the addictiveness comes from the quick gameplay. It’s easy to start another round knowing that it will only take “a minute,” though in my case, the “minutes” soon turn into many. There is also an excellent PC version of this game (which comes with Kings Corners, Fortitude, and Klondike.) Here I should mention that I am also addicted to the PC version of Thieves. If I’m on my computer waiting for an email or instant message, I will start a game and play it between emails or chat responses.

If I had to choose only one solitaire game for my Palm (or my PC,) it would be an easy choice. Thieves is by far my favorite solitaire game. It is challenging, yet not taxing, and I never tire of playing it. The Palm version used to be $15, but Paul informed me that to correspond with the release of his improved games and his newly redesigned website, he has reduced the price to $10! And for just $5 more, ($15 total) you can add both of the other great Palm games, Kings Corners and Fortitude. Add the PC version of all four games for just $10 more. ($25 total, for all 7 games!) I am being completely sincere when I say that I think these games are worth every penny!

By the way, I just played Fortitude on my T/C for the first time the other day, and I was enthralled. It is the first solitaire game I’ve played that might actually have a chance to chase Thieves out of the #1 spot! Time will tell, but I highly recommend that you seize this awesome trio of Palm games, and let Thieves capture your attention, as it has completely stolen mine!

- Jan, Deputy Editor US, (Alpine, UT, USA)