Computerized card and board games bring the full experience of their tabletop counterparts to your Macintosh. Although the basic elements of these games remain the same, they are complemented by animations and sounds, clever multi-player options, and, occasionally, monkeys that mock your every move.

Digital shuffle

Another nice advantage these games offer over their physical counterparts is the fact that you have to play by the rules, but most software titles allow you to modify the rules within certain parameters. A solitaire game, for example, might let you choose whether to draw one card at a time or three.

Your computer acts as an impartial referee, so you can’t take a peek at the upcoming cards in the deck, and your friend can’t place an extra hotel on Park Place when you’re not looking. Some games warn you when there are no legal moves or let you know which moves are available. So cheating is not an option — unless you make extensive use of the undo command!

An important feature of these games is the ability to challenge the computer. There’s no need to wait for a willing human opponent — these games will happily challenge you on their own. The computer’s intelligence level can often be adjusted to match your skill level, too, so you can increase the game’s difficulty as you learn.

Many new card and board games offer extensive multi-player options. You can play against friends sitting next to you at your Macintosh, or you can challenge friends who are far, far away. Games like Chessmaster 9000, 3D Card Games, and Big Bang Board Games allow people to play across the Internet. (Please note that each person must own a copy of the game.)

Younger players who are new to the game will want to embark on the trio of adventures found in Fritz & Chesster’s Chess Complete begins with Fritz in charge of the castle while his parents are on vacation. King Black challenges him to a duel, and the resulting seven mini-games progress from chess basics to master strategies. Fritz’s next adventure teaches various advanced strategies, such as middle game tactics and delivering check, while the final one uses an amusement park to round out kids’ chess journey.

One final — and perhaps mundane — advantage of the games is that you never need to worry about losing cards or game pieces, nor do you have to clean up the table after you’re done. Simply quit the application, and everything magically disappears!

Great deals

Chessmaster 9000 (Feral Interactive) offers a definitive look at one of history’s oldest board games. Packed with tutorials, drills, quizzes, and puzzles created by some of the world’s greatest chess minds, this title features challenges for players of every skill level. You can even replay classic matches that span the years 1619 to 2002, with an accompanying glossary that helps you understand different moves employed in those contests. When you’ve honed your abilities against AI players, take on live ones across a LAN or over the Internet.

Chess is also featured in Big Bang Board Games (Freeverse), along with checkers, Reversi, Four-in-a-Row, Mancala, Tic-Tac-Toe, and Backgammon. Stunning 3D graphics, coupled with Freeverse’s whimsical sense of humor and the ability to take on live opponents over the Internet or a LAN, make this a great package for board game fans.

If cards are more your thing, choose from a variety of great titles covered in our card games feature: the dozens of solitaire variants found in Silver Creek Entertainment’s Hardwood Solitaire III and GameHouse’s Aloha Solitaire and Aloha TriPeaks; Toybox Games’ Ancient Hearts & Spades and Silver Creek’s Hardwood Euchre, Hardwood Hearts, and Hardwood Spades; and Donohoe Digital’s DD Poker 2 and Masque’s World Class Poker with T.J. Cloutier.

Freeverse is well known for its cool and comical card games. The company’s collection includes casino, solitaire, and four-player games like 3D Hearts Deluxe. This witty update of the classic card game allows you to challenge a host of computer characters or play online against friends. The game supports the most popular rule variations and offers skill levels that range from easy to cutthroat. You can even put your own face in the game to stare down your online opponents.

Burning Monkey Solitaire 4 (Freeverse) offers 30 different solitaire games, including Klondike, Golf, and even 52-Pick-up. As you play, you’re watched closely by an audience of feisty monkeys who will comment on your moves, offer random bits of wisdom, and even tell a few jokes. The game also provides an extensive cheating mode so that you can steal a win when fate is clearly against you!

Of course, not all card games use a traditional 52-card deck. UNO is a classic example of that, and UNO Undercover takes that well-known gameplay around the world in an adventure starring secret agent Felicia Blue. Posing as a professional UNO player, Felicia tracks down other spies and stops their evil plans by winning UNO matches. Quick Play mode lets you jump into a few rounds of traditional UNO card games.

New Life For Old Games

You’ll find a spin on a classic in The Game of LIFE: Path to Success, which features 50 levels of frantic fun that challenges you to deal with demands from friends, family, and new people who enter your life. Collect tokens along the way and advance from college to marriage and beyond.

Many of us have also piled up cash while playing Monopoly, which you can play on your Mac in traditional or Here & Now editions. The latter envisions the classic game as if it was invented today for tomorrow’s billionaires. Both versions let you play against friends and family or against computer-controlled opponents of various difficulty levels.

At Least There Are No Virtual Pit Bosses

Of course, many board games come down to the luck of the draw, and some people would rather try their luck when money, real or digital, is on the line. If you’re one of them, you’ll find a variety of casino titles on the Mac, such as Hoyle Casino 2011, which immerses you in a realistic Las Vegas environment featuring over 600 variations of 16 popular casino games, including craps, horse racing, slots, four card poker, blackjack, roulette, and more. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys parking in front of a slow machine for a while, Hoyle Slots 2011 gives you plenty of what you want, including 20 video slot machines, 10 classic slot machines, and such themes as Comic Cash and The Bank Job. Virtual Programming also offers a pair of similar titles: Reel Deal Casino: High Roller and Reel Deal Slots: Mystic Forest.

Stacking your deck

Card, casino, and board games have minimal system requirements and very rarely require graphics acceleration. Take a close look at the box of any game that appeals to you to be sure that it will run on your Macintosh.

Pick a card

Card and board games on your Mac bring the fun of classic tabletop games to life in a new and interactive way. You can hone your skills by challenging a computer opponent or match wits with friends over the Internet. It’s a great way to spend a quiet afternoon. Pick one up today!