Midterms have been a little crazy, but I got away long enough to pick up a game called Fairway Collector's Edition. And I have to say it's a game with long-term appeal. Basically it's solitaire (sorting cards numerically) with the game of golf used as a theme throughout. And no, this isn't your grandma's solitaire — there is an endless variety of exotic card stacks and configurations that will keep your brain pumping.
Midterms have been a little crazy, but I got away long enough to pick up a game called Fairway Collector's Edition. And I have to say it's a game with long-term appeal. Basically it's solitaire (sorting cards numerically) with the game of golf used as a theme throughout. And no, this isn't your grandma's solitaire — there is an endless variety of exotic card stacks and configurations that will keep your brain pumping.
Golf comes into the picture in the form of various "hazards" that introduce a wrinkle into card sorting, such as water hazard cards which all have to be sorted before unlocking another column of cards. As you go along, you get points for chaining several cards in a row, and you can spend those points in the Golf Shop for gameplay-changing gadgets such as the "Munche Ease Weed Eater," which eliminates one "rough" hazard card per round.
This is a truly polished game deserving of the "Collector's Edition" label. Golf course backdrops are cartoony but very well done and the audio is flawless, including a commentator who will poke fun at you for "taking a long time to line up your shot" in true golf commentator fashion. Saving up to buy gadgets in the shop, a variety of mini-games, and an impressive mix of hazard cards and card configurations all give the game plenty of replay value. Plus, everything is thematically united around golf, such as at the end of rounds when you are given a "birdie" trophy for doing well or a "double eagle" trophy for doing really well. There are occasional touches of corny humor which might only appeal to golfers, but that's a minor point.
For its professional presentation and replay value, Fairway Collector's Edition gets a strong recommendation.
