Free FreeCell Solitaire 2012

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on November 28, 2012

Solitaire is one of the most popular card games ever, whether it's played with actual cards or as software. In fact, solitaire is a great PC training tool. Simple rules make solitaire easy to learn (or relearn), too. Free solitaire games are so easy to come by that you've probably already got one in Windows. But Free FreeCell Solitaire 2012 from TreeCard Games not only offers four types of solitaire (FreeCell, FreeCell Two Decks, Eight Off, and Stalactites) but also looks good enough for the corporate suite. You can upgrade to the paid version to add more games and features, too, but we think the freeware would keep most users alert and entertained in those odd in-between minutes for a long time before we exhausted its options. Recent updates to Free FreeCell Solitaire 2012 include Windows 8 compatibility.

We mentioned FreeCell Solitaire's power-dressing user interface, which looks good enough for any desktop or laptop display, thanks to its Office-compatible layout with Start button and Ribbon toolbars. The default game is FreeCell. The default cards are attractive and well rendered, especially the face cards, though we could change the card backs, colors scheme, background, and other options under Appearance. We could also change the card speed and other effects under Tools. Clicking New Games opens a wizard for selecting any of the free version's four games. The wizard also displays a preview of its layout as well as information such as game time, difficulty, and skill level. Clicking the info button at any stage opens the specific Help file page. We've assumed up to now that you know how to play solitaire, but if you don't, or if it's been a while since you've played, FreeCell Solitaire's Help file is the place to start. Here you'll find not only the basic rules to this simple game but also the program's variants.

We clicked Games to start a new game from the program's wizard. Playing FreeCell Solitaire is just like playing with cards, until you try the nifty Autoplay feature. We'll let you try that one yourself! Free FreeCell Solitaire 2012 is the game to beat.