Solitaire Review: The Eternal Card Classic

Solitaire — specifically Klondike Solitaire — is the most-played card game in human history. Microsoft’s bundled port, written by intern Wes Cherry in 1990 and shipped with Windows 3.0, exposed it to hundreds of millions of office workers. Three decades later, the game is still everywhere, still in browser, still free. This solitaire review asks whether Klondike is a great game or just a convenient one. The honest answer: it’s a great game whose greatness is hidden by how easily it gets dismissed as a time-waster.

What Solitaire actually is

“Solitaire” in casual usage almost always means Klondike Solitaire. The game uses a standard 52-card deck. You deal seven columns of cards (one face-up in each, with progressively more face-down cards underneath). The remaining 24 cards form a stock. The goal is to build four foundation piles, one for each suit, from Ace to King.

You move cards between columns in descending order, alternating colors (a red 6 onto a black 7, a black 5 onto a red 6). You can move sequences of properly stacked cards as a unit. Empty columns can be filled only by a King. You draw from the stock (one or three at a time depending on variant) to find new options.

The history runs deeper than the Microsoft port. According to Wikipedia, solitaire card games date back to at least the 18th century, with Klondike specifically appearing in print by the late 19th century, likely tied to the Klondike Gold Rush. Wes Cherry, then a Microsoft intern, wrote the Windows version in 1990 — reportedly to teach users how to drag-and-drop with the mouse, which was a new interaction at the time.

How it plays

Deal seven columns. Look at the visible cards. Look for sequences you can build (red on black, black on red, descending). Move a card to expose a face-down card underneath. Flip that card. Look for more moves. When you exhaust visible options, draw from the stock to find new cards. When you find an Ace, move it to a foundation pile. When you can build up on a foundation (Ace, 2, 3…), do it.

Sessions run 5-15 minutes. The game ends either when you complete all four foundations (win) or when you run out of legal moves (loss).

The strategic depth: not every legal move is the right move. Moving a card too early can block needed access to a face-down card. Drawing from the stock too aggressively can cycle you past optimal placements. Skilled play involves looking several moves ahead — almost like a chess opening — to avoid common dead-end states.

What makes it work

The pacing is honest

A Klondike hand is short enough to fit into any break and long enough to feel like a complete session. Five minutes when things flow. Fifteen when you’re stuck. The session structure suits modern attention more cleanly than most newer games — you’re not committing to a long arc, just to one hand.

The skill-luck balance

About 80% of randomly dealt three-draw Klondike hands are solvable with perfect play. Most casual players win closer to 30-50% of hands because they make sub-optimal decisions. That gap — between random play and skilled play — is where the game is interesting. You can improve. You can study patterns. You can get measurably better over hundreds of hands.

The variants ecosystem

Once you’ve burned out on Klondike, there are decades of solitaire variants waiting. Spider Solitaire (multiple decks, single-suit or four-suit). FreeCell (no hidden cards, near-100% solvability). Pyramid (clear pairs that sum to 13). TriPeaks (clear a peak of cards using a single discard pile). Each of these is a separate game with its own strategy. Microsoft Solitaire Collection bundles five of the major variants for free.

The cultural footprint

Solitaire is the most-played game in computing history. Hundreds of millions of people learned what a mouse was by clicking through Klondike. The cultural weight is real — and the game has earned it by being good. Many “default games” are mediocre but ubiquitous. Solitaire is ubiquitous because it’s actually good.

What doesn’t work

The losing problem. About 20% of Klondike hands are unwinnable from the deal. You can play those hands perfectly and still lose. Without a “win-deal” mode (which most browser implementations don’t have), you’ll occasionally lose runs that were dead before you started — and the game doesn’t tell you which deals are unwinnable.

The Microsoft Solitaire Collection on Windows is heavily monetized. Ads play between hands. A “premium” subscription removes them and adds achievements. The free experience is workable but interrupted. Browser alternatives (Solitr, Google’s built-in Solitaire) are cleaner.

The interface conventions assume you know Solitaire. Most Solitaire apps assume you’ve played before and don’t explain rules well to true beginners. If you’re new to the game, the lack of in-app tutorials in many versions is a friction point.

The pacing can feel slow for younger players accustomed to instant feedback. Five minutes of methodical card-moving in pursuit of a single win condition is, for some, the wrong rhythm. There’s nothing wrong with that mismatch — but it’s real.

Who it’s for

Solitaire is for people who like calm, methodical, single-player thinking. It’s for the work break, the wait at the airport, the moment between meetings. It’s for veteran players who remember the Windows 3.1 port and want to come back. It’s for new players who want to learn a card game that has aged into a near-universal cultural artifact.

It is not for fast-reflex gamers. It is not for people who want multiplayer. It is not for narrative fans. It is unapologetically a quiet, single-player puzzle, and that is the point.

Comparison with the broader card-game scene

FreeCell is the most “honest” solitaire — minimal hidden information, near-100% of hands solvable, all skill. Spider Solitaire 4-suit is the harder, longer cousin. TriPeaks is the faster snack version. Among non-solitaire card games, Hearts and Spades are multiplayer cousins; Magic: The Gathering Arena and Hearthstone are the modern card-game scene. For a curated list of related browser games, see our games-like-solitaire roundup. For the deeper history, see our solitaire history piece.

The verdict

Yes, recommended. Solitaire is the rare default-bundled game that deserves the position it inherited. Klondike is a real puzzle, the variants give you decades of depth, and the browser implementations are mostly free and ad-light. Play it consciously. Pay attention to the moves you skip. Try FreeCell when Klondike feels predictable. Spider when you want a longer session.

The honest solitaire review summary is that this is the game most people half-play without ever taking seriously. Take it seriously for a week and you’ll find a quiet, well-designed puzzle that has earned every minute of its three-decade presence.

Frequently asked questions

Who invented Solitaire?

Solitaire card games as a category date to the 18th century. Klondike specifically appears in printed rulebooks by the late 19th century, likely associated with the 1896-99 Klondike Gold Rush. The Microsoft Windows port that popularized it digitally was written by intern Wes Cherry in 1990.

Are all Klondike Solitaire deals winnable?

No. Approximately 80% of randomly dealt three-draw Klondike hands are solvable with perfect play. Around 90% of one-draw Klondike hands are solvable. The remainder are unwinnable from the start regardless of skill.

Is Microsoft Solitaire free?

The base Microsoft Solitaire Collection is free on Windows 10 and later, but contains ads. A paid premium subscription removes ads and adds achievements. Browser-based solitaire (Solitr, Google’s built-in version, others) is generally cleaner and ad-light.

What’s the difference between Klondike and FreeCell?

Klondike uses hidden cards in the tableau and requires drawing from a stock; only about 80% of deals are winnable. FreeCell has no hidden cards (all 52 are visible from the start) and four “free cells” for temporary storage; approximately 99.999% of FreeCell deals are winnable, making it more pure-skill.

How long does a Solitaire game take?

A typical Klondike hand takes 3-10 minutes depending on speed and difficulty. Spider four-suit hands can stretch to 20 minutes. FreeCell hands typically run 5-15 minutes. None of the major solitaire variants are time-pressured.

The bottom line

Solitaire earned its place on every Windows install by being a quietly great game. The Microsoft port made it universal; the underlying Klondike design has been good for over a century. Play it. Try the variants. When you want a single-player reflex game instead of a single-player thinking game, the Chrome Dino game is one keystroke away — same browser, different muscle.

Related guides

• Types of Mahjong: Solitaire, Connect, and Classic Explained