Solitaire fans will love 123 Free Solitaire's collection of free solitaire card games for Windows. It includes 12 solitaire variations ranging from Diplomat to Yukon, though upgrades are available when you're ready for them. But 123 Free Solitaire isn't just some adware in a game wrapper: It has a top-quality, fully customizable interface; a Help menu with rules, hints, and tips; and more.

Pros

Attractive layout: An Office-style Ribbon toolbar, game-table-green background, and realistic card animation give 123 Free Solitaire a classy look. The Appearance menu let us customize Card Set, Card Back, and Background; choose Blue, Black, and Silver color schemes; show or hide the Ribbon and Status Bar; set animation effects; and configure performance options.

Many games: If you thought Solitaire was just one game, 123 Free Solitaire will introduce you to fascinating variations like Forty Thieves, Grandfather's Clock, and three kinds of Spider.

Help menu: The Help menu includes a fully indexed and searchable Help file with rules and instructions for all Solitaire games, a glossary, customization tips, and contact info.

Cons

Sign up for spam: A Web page asking us to "Complete installation by providing your email" appeared when we finished installing 123 Free Solitaire. Since no activation or registration is required to use this freeware, we declined.

Bottom Line

Solitaire may be the most basic of card games, but that just makes a wide range of interesting and challenging variations possible. If you're looking to up your game, start with 123 Free Solitaire.