Part II:

Card Room

HEARTS

Hearts is a seemingly simple game which quickly wraps its tendrils around you, hooking you for eternity in its complexities like a designer drug of card games. I started playing when a mini-Hearts craze swept through my dorm during my freshman year in college, and have been addicted to the game ever since. Back in college, we had frequent all-night tournaments. We would play before class, after class, even during class. Heck, I can remember discussing games of Hearts and the strategy of the game on the way to class. The most memorable games, however, were those which took place in the back of the bus on the to school after winter break. Every time the bus turned, hit the brakes, or made any other sudden movements, cards would fly through the air, causing us to call an impromptu end to the round. I was thrilled when I learned that Real Dice shared my love of this game, and would be offering their own interpretation as part of the Real Dice World arcade. Of course, I had no choice but to instantly peg the game as the next stop on my tour of the Real Dice Card Room.

[Note: Before reading on, you should read my review of Real Dice World Launcher, which will give you an overview of the environment in which this game exists.]

Installation and Registration: There are two ways to download the game. First, if you have subscribed to the full Real Dice Service, then you can download it over the air using the Real Dice Launcher. Additionally, you can download the desktop installer and install it via ActiveSync. If you are not a Real Dice member yet, there is a limited trial which you can use to test out the game.

Hearts Overview: Hearts is deceptively simple game, played with four people (sometimes the game can be played with as few as three). Each player is dealt 13 cards which consists of your hand. In each round of hearts players participate in 13 turns or tricks, involving everyone playing one card from their hand. The first player to play during that trick selects the suit. Each other player must then play a card of the same suit in turn. If that player has no cards of the same suit, they can play any card in their hand. Whichever player uses the highest card of the selected suit, wins the trick and collects all of the cards played.

Points are scored for collecting any Heart or the Queen of Spades. Like golf, however, the player with the lowest score wins. So, you will want to avoid the hearts, as well as the Queen of Spades. Once a player reaches the point limit (typically 100) they lose the game.

On of the great aspects of Hearts are the numerous variations of the game, most of which affect scoring. Real Dice Hearts includes four variations in the single player game:

• Black Lady. This is the standard game of Hearts. Each of the 13 Heart Cards is worth one point, and the Queen of Spades is worth 13, for a total of 26 potential points. The game ends when one player reaches 100.
• Spot. This is probably my favorite variation of the game. Each Heart is worth its face value (so, the two is worth two points up to the Ace, which is worth 14). The Queen of Spades is worth 25 points. The game ends when one player reaches 500.
• Greek. This is the same as Spot, except the Queen of Spades is worth 50 instead of 25 points.
• Omnibus. This is played the same as Black Lady, except the Jack of Diamonds is worth -10 points from the score of anyone who captures it.

Typically, in any variation of the game, the object is to win as few point cards as possible. However, if you feel you have a particularly strong hand, then you can try to Shoot The Moon. This occurs when you win all of the point cards (all 13 Hearts, the Queen of Spades, and the Jack of Diamonds (in Omnibus only)). Depending on the variation you are playing, successfully Shooting The Moon will result in either your opponents each earning the maximum number of points, or the maximum number of points being deducted from your score.

Of course, there is much more to the game of Hearts than what I have told you here. As such, Real Dice includes an excellent mini-tutorial in the Help section of the game.

Single Player Game: To play the single player game, you will first need to create a profile. To do so, simply enter your name and select an avatar. You can create up to three profiles at a time, which is nice because it means the whole family (well, most of you anyway) can maintain separate profiles at the same time.

One thing I did notice in the single player game was the table. Yes, the table, which was a static image. Although the card table was well drawn and ornamented, it would have been nice to change things around every so often. Many games offer you the choice of a variety of tables, not to mention card backs. I wish Real Dice had done so as well.

Internet Game: Hearts is a game which is best played against real live players, not computer opponents. As such, I was excited to check it out in the Hearts online game room and see how I could fare against a community of players. Alas, I was sorely disappointed. The numerous times I tried to play, I consistently found nothing more than an empty space. I have to admit that I am slightly befuddled by this. The Real Dice online game room is extremely well done and offers numerous games for everyone. I am surprised that it is not teeming with people waiting to play the various games. Especially a game like Hearts. Nonetheless, this is a new game, so I certainly hope some of you readers will join me online for a quick game soon. Since there were no players in the online Hearts game room, I was not able to evaluate the online game.

Nonetheless, I took the liberty of creating a game. The online game comes in three varieties: Normal (played to 100), Long (played to 150), and Short (played to 50). I am not sure why the four variations found in the single player game were not available online. That would have been nice. I created a normal game, and have been sitting alone at the table waiting for other players. So log in and come play online with me. I’ll keep the cards warm for you.

Saving: The save feature in Hearts addresses one of my main criticisms of Real Dice Multiplayer Championship Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. Unlike poker, which had an extremely flaky save feature that often lost games, the save feature in Hearts worked perfectly.

In order to save a game, all you have to do is…nothing. Don’t do anything. Just exit the game. The next time you start, it will automatically ask whether you would like to continue your saved game. Just tap yes and you are on your way, right where you left off.

Conclusion: I love card games. Rarely have I met a game played with a deck of 52 that I has not completely engrossed me. At the top of my list, however, sits Hearts — one of the best card games I have ever played. And Real Dice offers the best electronic version I have found. Because all of Real Dice’s games are available on virtually every platform, I was shocked to find an empty game room when I went online to play against real players from across the world. If you have never tried a Real Dice game before, Hearts is a fantastic place to starts. So check it out, and I will see you online.

Vital Statistics:

Name: Real Dice Hearts

Platform: WM 2003 SE, WM6

Also Available: WM5, WM5 Smartphone Palm OS, Blackberry, Symbian, PC

Developer: Real Dice

Price: $14.95, or free with a subscription to Real Dice World

Available From: Real Dice

JAMM Store

Technorati Tags: real dice, hearts, card games, just another mobile monday

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