Playing Solitaire with Microsoft Solitaire Collection

Microsoft has created the Microsoft Solitaire Collection especially for Solitaire enthusiasts. This program is standard on Windows computers. There are five variants of Solitaire. In addition to the classic version (called Klondike), there are four other digital card games that you can play without opponents. For example, try Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid or TriPeak.

The Microsoft Solitaire Collection is free. Playing one game (or many games) costs nothing. However, an advertisement is sometimes played before or after a game. Is this irritating? Then you can consider a paid version. This is called ‘premium’ and you can arrange this via your Microsoft account. The costs are $1.50 (about $1.25) per month or $10 (about $8.30) per year (price: May 2021).

As mentioned, the program with these games is standard on a Windows computer. Look it up like this:

• Click the Start button. This is the Windows icon.
• A menu opens. Scroll down the middle row to the letter ‘M’.
• click on Microsoft Solitaire Collection.

Is the game not on the PC or would you like to download it on another device? Which can.

• Through Microsoft (for PC)
• Via the Google Play Store (for Android devices)
• Via the App Store (for iPhones/iPads)

There are five card games in the Microsoft Solitaire Collection. These games are listed at the top of the program overview page. Play one like this:

• Click on one of the games.
• A window opens. Optionally, select the number of colors in the game.
• Select the level. This ranges from easy to grand master. Some levels cannot be played until you have already completed other levels.
• click on Play.

Are you disappointed in how easy or difficult the game is while playing? No worries. At the bottom is a bar with various options. Click the plus sign (that says ‘New’) to start a new game. Here you select the level again. Adjust the appearance of the cards using the same bar or let the computer give a hint for the next move. Click on the back arrow at the top to go directly to the overview page. Or click on the three lines to open the menu.

A different challenge is available every day on the Microsoft Solitaire Collection overview page. Click on the ‘Day Challenges’ block to play one. There is a different challenge for all five games. Once you have selected a game, a field describing the challenge will appear. For example: ‘Clear 5 of diamonds from the board’ or ‘Get a score of 650’. A completed assignment yields coins. You can use those points for new game options.

In addition to day challenges, there are also events. Those are bigger challenges, for example within a certain game.

At the bottom of the overview page are three buttons:

• click on Themes to download a new map theme. For example, if you choose ‘Aquarium’, the background of the game screen changes to a seabed. The high cards have pictures of shells.
• click on Rewards to see what challenges you’ve accomplished.
• click on Statistics to see how you do it. For example, this shows how many games you have played, won and lost.