Card Master

Card Master provides over 20 different card games users can play or learn to play. The game control is simple and the layout is perfect for users of all skill levels.

The program's interface consisted of clearly designed cards with click-and-drag action. The highlight was that each of the games contained a brief description of the rules and visual examples of scoring options for more complicated games, like Euchre. The game selection ranged from the classic and simple, like War, to the more complex, like Canasta, and on to games we'd never heard of, like Oh! Hell, along with 19 others. All were laid out well and were easy to play after reading instructions. One extremely helpful tool was a small box at the bottom of the screen that told us what the next move needed to be and which player's responsibility it was, which was great when we were learning new games. The computer proved to be a good opponent who was neither a pushover nor an expert. However, the program's strongest feature was its option to let you to play online opponents, which provided an unlimited supply of new challenges. Whether playing online or against the computer, we were impressed by the assortment of games and how simple they were to grasp.

CardMaster is a freeware program. We recommend it.