At least I 'said' that after a brief run-in with severe Solitaire Blitz addiction. Its hit free-to-play take on the iconic card game to iPhone and iPad.

Venturing to the ocean floor has always been an intriguing thought. Tales of unusual creatures and buried treasure abound. Dive right in with Solitaire Blitz, a fast paced addictive card game from PopCap. It's not just solitaire on your iOS device, it's a race against the clock.

Below zero. Below Zero is an underwater adventure game set on an alien ocean world. It is a new chapter in the Subnautica universe, and is currently in development by Unknown Worlds.

It's your job to empty the card stacks at the bottom of the screen within the time limit, which begins at 60 seconds. Cards are placed in numerical order, up or down, with aces high or low. Suit doesn't matter, just tap the card you'd like to play and swipe left or right to draw from the deck. If there is more than one place a card can go, the game automatically chooses the left-most spot. Watch for cards with keys on them to unlock more piles to give yourself more possible moves. As your stacks start to decline, you'll see time lines appear. Get all your stacks below the line, and twenty seconds will be added to the clock. And it's not just about the clock, either. You're also trying for a high score. You can compete against yourself for a personal best, or you can connect with your Facebook account and compete with your friends.

When you begin the game you start out with 25,000 silver and five lives. Silver is in-game currency used for purchasing boosts or additional lives. You use one life per game, and they slowly regenerate over time. Silver is earned each time you play as you discover treasures on the ocean floor. Treasures are valued anywhere from five silver up into the thousands if you are lucky enough to discover a rare one. Of course you can always spend real world cash to purchase more silver or lives, but with the high prices of the in-app purchases, you're probably better off earning as you play.

If you are trying for a high score, getting runs is the way to do it. For every ten cards in a row, a score multiplier is awarded. Boosts are a big help with this. In addition to adding time or cards to your deck (which also contribute to score at the end of a round), you can also have jokers or bombs that help you not break your streak. You are also awarded extra points for each game in a row you win, and another bonus if you don't attempt any illegal moves.

Analysis: Though obviously the game was designed for speed runs, it would be nice to have an option for a relaxed non-competitive game. The inclusion of lives, though great if you have a hard time limiting your play, seems like what it is: a cheap ploy to get you to spend money. An in-app purchase that would give you unlimited play would be a welcome addition.

PopCap games are known for their cute characters and charming atmosphere, and Solitaire Blitz is no exception. The worm's expression when you're about to run out of time is great, and you'll just want to cuddle up with all the creatures who are hiding under your cards. Except they'd be wet. Though I'm not usually one for social games, having weekly tournaments against your friends is a very compelling reason to play. It's fun to try for achievements, and the variety of deck art is impressive. Solitaire Blitz is another great addition to the PopCap lineup.

NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the iPad 2. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.

Solitaire Blitz Review

• Publisher:PopCap
• Genre:Family
• Released: 20 Mar, 2013
• Size: 176.9 MB
• Price: FREE!

PROS

• A really nice spin on Solitaire.
• For a free game, it's not too aggressive trying to get you to spend money.

CONS

• You can literally blindly tap your way to victory.
• The worm sound when your time is almost up is unfortunate.

VERDICT

While Solitaire Blitz is a great new spin on a gaming classic, there's nothing to stop the player spamming their way to victory, and thus the experience gets old fast.

It's been a while since we've seen something from Popcap Games. Once having a reputation for casual yet fiercely addictive titles, many of which received praise from the mainstream gaming media, the company's output has been kind of sparse and quiet these last few years. Well it seems they're still with us having released Solitaire Blitz, a spin on the Windows gaming classic that emphasises social play and leaderboards. Yes, solitaire as a social game. The irony wasn't lost on us either.

Now instead of playing strictly like a game of Solitaire, this plays more like Solitaire mixed with Uno. You have stacks of cards you need to get to the bottom of, and a card pile up top. Whatever card is on that pile, you can tap either the card above or below it if that card exists on the playing field. Cel damage ps4 review. For example, if it's a seven, you can tap six or eight, and if it's an ace, you can tap the two or king as aces wrap around. You have sixty seconds to try to eliminate all the stacks, which have treasure hidden under them (which can be tapped on at the end of each game to uncover how much they're worth in silver coins), and if there are no available moves you can flip over a new card up top. Where the game gets really interesting is once the multiple card piles and boosts enter into it. If you tap a card with a key on it, you unlock another card pile up the top, so now essentially a second or third way to clear the stacks reveals itself. Add in time bonuses, score multipliers, and buying new boosts such as magnets that pull cards to the top of the stacks, and you could see how this could become a very engrossing game.

Here's one very glaring problem though; the game can be not only won, but won with a sizable score by just mindlessly tapping cards. You see there is no penalty for selecting a card that doesn't work, so essentially you can just go up and down the stacks tapping away until solutions reveal themselves, only swiping over a new card when you're without a possible move. Now obviously this too can backfire as you only have so many cards in reserve, but if you save the jokers in the deck for this occasion, you can win almost any game with a huge amount of time left of the clock, and with a score that's certainly nothing to sneeze at. Granted if you're playing to hit the top of the leaderboards or are invested in the game itself, you are not going to be doing this, but allowing such an easy way to win is quite an oversight.

Solitaire Blitz is certainly fun. Popcap have a knack for that in their games. The under the sea mermaid aesthetic will probably turn some off, as well as the easy way the game can be played.. but there is a fun idea here. One that should keep one entertained for some time, even if it's only to play every now and then when you have a couple minutes to kill.

Screenshots