Solitaire Game Guide

Despite what you may think, solitaire isn't actually one specific game... it's actually an entire category of different card games. Solitaire is actually any card game that you play on your own. The game called "Solitaire" that Microsoft ships with windows is actually a type of solitaire game, called Klondike.

There are hundreds of other solitaire games as well though. Another favourite is
Freecell, which Microsoft also ships. Other popular solitaire games, include Spider,
Pyramid, and Tri Peaks.

Each solitaire game has different rules, different ways to win, and different
styles.

Some solitaire games, like Klondike, don't show you all the cards at the start. A
mixture of luck and skill is needed to win the game.

Other games, like Freecell, have all the cards visible, right from the very start of the
game. This means that the game is totally under the users control... there is no luck
involved at all, and if the user can think things through deeply enough, then they
are VERY likely to win.( Of the 32,000 deals available in Microsofts Freecell, only
one, deal number 11982, is unsolveable)

Some games are really hard to win, and require a lot of though. 4 Suit spider is one
of these hard games, and completing a game normally takes atleast half an hour of
solid thinking. Other games are either quite easy( like most deals in Freecell), or
don't require much (if any) thought, like Clock.

Some games have distinctive and attractive card layouts. Pyramid has all the cards in
a big pyramid shape, and the player must remove cards from the bottom layers until
they can reach the top. La Belle Lucie starts the game with 18 fans, which all grow
and shrink as the game goes on. (La Belle Lucie looks particularly attractive on a
solitaire game supporting rotated cards)

Some solitaire games were played regularly by important historical figures. George
Washington and Napoleon were said to play Napoleon at Elba island, with claims
that it helped them to think in times of stress.

All solitaire games help you to think, and improve your concentration and memory-
and yet they are still relaxing and fun... A much better way to unwind than watching
TV!

No matter who you are, or what mood you're in, there is a type of Solitaire game
that you will find fun to play right now. I encourage you to try out a solitaire game
package, and discover for yourself all the great fun available in the solitaire
universe.

Dan Fletcher is a developer at dogMelon. They make Classic Solitaire, a fun pack of solitaire card games for Mac, PC, and Palm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Fletcher

Game Cabinets - A Newcomer's Guide

Game cabinets are basically cabinets that contain low-end computers and are sometimes painted and decorated to look like real retro arcade machines. The computer is hidden inside the cabinet, opening with a lock and key; if the PC needs to be taken out for some reason. Often a joystick or game pad is firmly attached to the cabinet as controls. But if those are not available, a keyboard or mouse may be used as substitution. A sort of cabinet frame is built around the monitor, which is set slightly deep in the cabinet at an upward angle, to resemble the authenticity of an arcade machine and for easy viewing as well.

The actual computer itself need not have impressive specs or hardware - only the basics will do. Any second-hand computer, or an old one that's lying around will work. All such a 'cabinet computer' needs is:

1) A basic monitor that can fit in the cabinet. (a television can be used for better authenticity)

2) A simple, working keyboard and mouse.

3) Any old processor (even a 166 MHz Intel Centrino Processor would do)

4) A CD-ROM drive to install the operating system.

5) A USB port to transfer files in, or use the CD-ROM Drive.

6) A set of speakers to render the game sounds and music.

7) A 10 or 20 Gigabyte hard disk.

And that's it - no internet capabilities such as wireless bluetooth, a modem, or ethernet ADSL broadband are needed. After all, did arcades have internet access in those days? ;)

Now on such a computer, a low-end operating system with low system requirements will do, such as Microsoft Windows 98 or Windows Me, or a minimal distribution of Linux (such as Zenwalk). Microsoft no longer supports Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, so you can either buy a used copy of Windows off eBay or any local computer shop. Old or unused copies of Windows 98/Me should cost around $30 to $50. However, if you want to cut down on expenses, you can download a free Linux distribution from the internet. A few examples of good, minimalistic Linux distributions are Zenwalk, SLAX, Zipslack, or Debian. Read up on them on websites like Distrowatch or Wikipedia to see which one best suits your needs, but Windows is still a safe bet.

Once the machine has been set up with an operating system, you should now load it up with Emulators and ROMS. Emulators are software programs that run ROMS (the arcade games). You need emulators as these games do not run natively on Linux or Windows just like double clicking an EXE file (an executable).

The best known emulator for all sorts of arcade games is known as MAME, which works for both Windows and Linux and ROMS for such games can be searched for on the internet. The ROM file sizes usually aren't all that big, taking up a few megabytes each. If you want to play laser disc games like Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II, Space Ace, etc. you will have to use another emulator known as DAPHNE. Do note that the ROM game files for laser disc games take up a lot of memory, being anywhere from 200 megabytes to 1 gigabyte for each game, so you want to watch your hard disk space there.

When it comes to actually building the game cabinet, you will need plenty of large wood materials and carpentering tools, or you can order such custom parts from companies specialising in selling game cabinet parts, including wooden frames, special televisions, joystick controls and more. You can even buy a complete game cabinet frame plan from them, or order an empty cabinet pre-built, shipped and delivered to you. The second alternative seems to be a cheaper solution instead of buying new materials, but the choice is all yours.

Sites like GroovyGameGear and the BYOAC Wiki can help you out and give you more authentic information and details on how to build your dream game cabinet. So go out there and build your own arcade machine!

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Cabinets Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Quick Start Guide to a Billiards Game

The most important ball-to-ball contact in a billiards game is the half-ball stroke, and is made by aiming through the center of your ball to the extreme edge of the object-ball. If you do this and strike your ball truly in its center, the angle your ball will take after contact with the object-ball is known as the natural angle.

It never varies unless you use side, screw, or forcing strength, and is in such constant request that I suppose I must score more than half my points in match play by the half-ball stroke, or very slight departures from it. Apart from its scoring value, however, the half-ball stroke serves as a standard of comparison for countless other shots.

We speak of a shot being "wider" than a half-ball, or "narrower" than a half-ball, and although it is correct to say that the angle of departure after contact is more obtuse or more acute than the true half-ball, yet I prefer the "wider" and "narrower" familiar to generations of cue-men.

Value of Half-Ball Play

Another material point connected with the half-ball stroke is that the part of the object-ball you wish to hit is always clearly defined. It is a curious fact that there are only two strokes in the whole of the game of billiards where you cannot make a mistake as regards the part of the object-ball you ought to hit.

One of these is the "full-ball," where you have the unmistakable center of the object-ball to aim at. The other is the half-ball, where you have the edge of the object-ball standing out clear and sharp as your invariable target.

In every other case, you have to estimate your target in the billiard game to judge for yourself what part of the object-ball must be struck to produce a desired effect. As the "full-ball" shot is rather infrequently met with, you may say that the half-ball stroke is the only one in constant request which automatically offers its own target on the object-ball.

This is a very great advantage, and explains why you can never learn too much about the scope of the half-ball shot. There is so much in this that if you show me a man who seldom misses a half-ball stroke, I will show you an uncommonly good player. On the other hand, those who know little or nothing of half-ball play, will always consider a twenty break something of a performance for them, and this will be true if they play billiards for a lifetime.

The Value of Practice

In order to play a billiard game well you need to know how to stand at the table, to hold and swing your cue and to strike your ball truly, how to impart top, screw, and side. All this should be considered as general knowledge to be applied to particular strokes, and the more thoroughly you study and practice the general principles of the game the better you will play it.

One of my greatest troubles with pupils is that they want to know how to make certain "strokes" long before they have mastered the elements of cue-man ship. They want to know something about the masse stroke or nursery cannon play before they can make three consecutive half-ball losers. Do be careful not to fall into this very common error - if you will only take plenty of pains with the fundamentals of your billiard game you can almost leave your stroke play to take care of itself.

Discover My Billiard Tips To Sink Every Ball Like You Were Born With A Cue In Your Hand.
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