January 21st, 2008 by PCG

Game Review: Fairway Solitaire

Let me be frank - my primary associations with golf are Tiger Woods, the American medical profession, and horribly funny clothes. Cashmere cardigans I can live with, but who on Earth decided plaid pants are posh? Never mind the question. Golf is growing in popularity, and it's no surprise that a golf themed solitaire game has finally cropped up.

As Fairway Solitaire opens, you start off as a duffer at the Golf Academy. Your goal - fill up your mantle place with trophies, and ultimately golf your way to Grand Champion.

Playing is easy. Click on cards which are one number higher or lower than the foundation card at the bottom of the screen. Suites don't matter. If there are no cards that apply, click on the draw pile to deal a new card. The "hole" is over when you have used up the draw pile. The cards which remain in the layout determine your score for that hole. So, for example, if you have 5 cards left, your score for that hole would be 5. A perfect score is achieved by clearing all of the cards. If you make a mistake, you can click the "Mulligan" button to undo it - but use those carefully, since you only start with one per hole.

At the end of each hole, you are taken to a scoreboard to review your stats. Aside from the score, you will also see the par. In golf, a par is a predetermined number of strokes that a golfer should require to complete a hole. In the game, your number of strokes is determined by subtracting your hole score from the par. If you finish under par, you are given a cash bonus...

So the story tells you that you are trying to make your way to golf Grand Champion and you do that by playing solitaire game. The game itself is pretty easy. There's a card at the bottom of the board and you are to click on the cards one number higher or lower among those that are just before you. Suites don't matter here. In case you are out of cards to click use the draw pile to deal a new card. The level or rather the "hole" is complete once you've used up all the cards in the pile...

Fairway Solitaire is a new casual card game that (miraculous as it may seem) blends solitaire with golf. Don't let that trick you into thinking it's a dull game filled with white gloves and whispering announcers. Fairway Solitaire is as funny, bright and entertaining as any casual game out there. And with its slightly new take on some familiar themes, it's worth heading out on the green and sinking a few holes.

Several rows of cards sit face-down on the screen with the bottom ones turned face-up. A deck with a single key card at its side rests at the bottom. The goal is to eliminate cards by placing them on the key card, but you can only remove cards that are one above or one below the key card value. For example, if the key card is a five of hearts, you can slide a four or a six of any color or suit on top of it. Move as many cards as you can before clicking the deck for a new key card. When the deck is depleted, the round ends. The game holds your hand for a number of rounds (or "holes") to get you warmed up, but you'll get the hang of things very quickly...

Playing sports was my thing while growing up, but it was mainly team sports like softball, basketball, volleyball, and soccer. However, I took a few classes or lessons in single player sports like gymnastics, golf, and tennis. Golf just didn’t fit me as holding a club felt awkward. Maybe it was because it was too different from holding a bat. But one golf game that I played numerous times was the card version.

I couldn’t believe I never got bored playing basic solitaire golf that came with Windows in the mid-’90s. I even loaded the game on my Palm handheld and played that for a long time. Since then, I got too busy to play the solitaire game.

Furthermore, after becoming a game reviewer, I didn’t have the luxury of sticking with a game for a long time. Whenever I played a game past my bedtime indicated a sign that a game was a hit and I blamed Fairway Solitaire for my recent tiredness.

The basic game isn’t good enough today. Most of your favorites probably have newer versions containing power ups, trophies, and other bonuses. Solitaire golf receives the same treatment.

The power ups show up in the golf shop. As you play each hole, you earn bucks to use in the golf shop for power ups. For a female golfer, buying a skirt provides her with the ability to x-ray a card to see through it...