Goodsol Solitaire Blog

How to Play Quadruple FreeCell

Quadruple FreeCell is one of the new games in Pretty Good Solitaire v20 for Windows.

In this video, I show how to play Quadruple FreeCell.

 

New Pretty Good MahJongg for Mac v2.7 - Works on Catalina

A new version of Pretty Good MahJongg for Mac is now available!

Version 2.7 is updated for macOS 10.15 Catalina.  Version 2.7 contains 355 tile matching layouts and 55 mahjongg solitaire games, the same as the Windows version.

Download the new version 2.7 from https://www.goodsol.com/pgmj.

If you have purchased, download the new full version from the link in your receipt email or by going to the Internet menu in the game, select "Download Latest Version".

A Windows version is also available at https://www.goodsol.com/pgmj.

 

 

 

New Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows v20.0 with 1030 Games

A new version of Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is now available! This is the 25th anniversary version, the first version was released July 19, 1995 with only 5 games.

Version 20.0 is available for download from Goodsol.com/download.html

Here is what is new:

• 15 new games, bringing the total number of games to 1030.
• AutoPlay option added to Accordion.

TO DOWNLOAD

Download Pretty Good Solitaire version 20.0 from Goodsol.com/download.html . Or, if you have a previous version installed, you can run the game, go to the Internet menu, and select "Download Latest Version". Be sure to exit the game before you install.

TO UPGRADE

If you registration code begins with "2d", "48", "2e", "25", or "4u", version 20.0 is a free update. Otherwise, it is not.

Pretty Good Solitaire version 20.0 is a free update for those who originally ordered version 18 or higher (ordered after March 21, 2018) or those who paid for an upgrade during that time. However, it is not a free upgrade for those who originally ordered version 17 or earlier (ordered before March 21, 2018).

Full details on upgrading are at Goodsol.com/upgrade.html. Upgrades are still only US$11.95 and are vital to keep us going to make Pretty Good Solitaire better. Upgrading now gets free updates through the end of the 2025 version.

Note that we always keep some older versions available at Goodsol.com/downloadpre.html for those who prefer not to upgrade.

If you have lost your code and need to type it in again (note that the new version should find your code if installed on a computer that had a full version installed previously), you can request that your registration code be sent to you again from Goodsol.com/regusers.html.

TO ORDER

Pretty Good Solitaire version 20.0 is US$24.95 for immediate electronic delivery. If you want an additional CD, there is an option to add US$9.95 shipping for a CD (note that shipping cost may vary by country and we currently cannot ship to some countries due to the pandemic). In addition to installing the basic game, the CD also installs all of the currently available extra card sets.

You can order online from Goodsol.com/order.html using major credit cards or PayPal. In some countries, other payment options such as using your Amazon account, Sofort, GiroPay, and bank transfers are also available.

The 15 New Games

Agnes Four - a 4 deck version of the popular games Agnes Bernauer and Agnes Three.

Calico Bandits of Cairo - a 4 deck version of Thieves of Egypt.

Captain's Patience - an easier variation of Admiral's Patience.

Forty Winks - a variation of Rectangular with a redeal.

Grigory - a variation of Ukrainian Solitaire.

Leicaster - a variation of Carlton.

Nine by Four - a variation of FreeCell with 9 tableau piles.

Patience's Royal - a variation of the popular game Patience's Reward.

Persimmon - an original Klondike type game.

Pumpkin Spice - a variation of Pumpkin.

Quadruple Demons - a 4 deck version of the popular game Demons and Thieves.

Quadruple FreeCell - a 4 deck version of FreeCell.

Rochester - a variation of the game Springfield.

Scorpion Cells - a version of Scorpion with 3 cells.

Unlimited Alternative - a version of the game Alternations with unlimited redeals.

Update to an Existing Game

Accordion - added AutoPlay option. With AutoPlay on, Accordion will deal all of the cards out at the beginning of the game. This is the best strategy for winning, to play from the end of the cards and move back towards the beginning. Now the game can play out all of the cards at the start instead of you having to deal them all out first individually.

Goodsol Newsletter #361 - Goodsol Solitaire Forum Rebooted

Subscribe to the free Goodsol Newsletter

Goodsol Newsletter #361 Goodsol Solitaire Forum Rebooted Welcome to the new Goodsol Newsletter.  Yes, after 360 newsletters since 1997, we are finally getting fancy.  A move to a new web server has caused a number of changes.   Goodsol Solitaire Forum Rebooted - Goodsol.net/forum Due to the server move, we had to start over with the Goodsol Solitaire Forum , our discussion forum that has existed since 2003.  If you had an account on the old forum, you will need to create a new forum account - fortunately it is fast and easy.  Just go to Goodsol.net/forum , click on Register, and make your free account and you can join us discussing solitaire and post any difficult game numbers in the Is It Winnable? section.   Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows - Goodsol.com/download Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 19.2 with 1015 games and Daily Quests.  The 25th anniversary version of the Windows Pretty Good Solitaire is coming later in July!   Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games.  If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.    Our iPad Games - Goodsol.com/iPad Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad is currently at version 1.5 with 700 games.   Pretty Good Solitaire Mini - Goodsol.com/iPhone Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games.  Still at its introductory price of only 99 cents.   Pretty Good MahJongg - Goodsol.com/pgmj Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles.  Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows is currently at version 2.7 with 410 games.  Pretty Good MahJongg for Mac Catalina is coming later in July!   Featured Game - Demons and Thieves Demons and Thieves is a two deck original solitaire game with a two part tableau that was invented especially for Pretty Good Solitaire. On the left side, the game is played like Canfield (also known as Demon), and on the right side, the game is played like Forty Thieves. At the start of the game, one card is dealt out (for example, the Four of Hearts). This card is the foundation base card and starts the first of eight foundation piles. The other seven cards of the same rank as this card will start the remaining piles as they become available (for example, all the other Fours). These piles are built up in suit, wrapping from King back to Ace as necessary, until all the cards are moved up to the foundation piles and the game is won. Next, 13 cards are dealt to a reserve pile, with only the top card visible. This top card will be available for play. Next to this reserve, four more cards are dealt out one each to four piles, starting the left side of the tableau. This piles are built down by alternate color, as in Canfield. Groups of cards in descending sequence of alternate color can be moved together, and empty spaces can be filled by any card. Finally, 40 more cards are dealt out eight cards each to five more piles, forming the right side of the tableau. Here the piles are build down by suit, and groups of cards in descending sequence down by suit can be moved together. Again, spaces can be filled by any card or group of cards. The remainder of the cards form the stock, which is turned over one card at a time to a waste pile. The top card of the waste pile is available for play. When the stock is empty, there are two redeals. An interesting aspect of play in Demons and Thieves is that you can play cards in between the two sides of the tableau. If you have a group of cards in sequence of alternate color on the left side, you can move that group onto a card on the right side, if the top card of the sequence is one rank less and the same suit. But if you do, you won't be able to pick that group of cards up again to move it again - because on the right side, you can only move a group that is in suit and the group you just played was in alternate color. Groups can also move from the right side to the left side, but the same restrictions apply, only reversed. In order to win the game, you will probably need to make some moves like this, even if they block you temporarily. Demons and Thieves can be won every time with good play. Because of this it is more challenging to play without any redeals (only one time through the stock). This form of the game is called Demonthief. Perhaps because you can always win it, but it is still a challenging and interesting game, Demons and Thieves is the most popular game in Pretty Good Solitaire invented by me. -- Contact Us - Goodsol.com/contact.html Lost Code - Goodsol.com/regusers.html -- Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - support@goodsol.com Anne Warfield - Order Fulfillment - orders@goodsol.com ©2020 Goodsol Development Inc. PO Box 9155, Springfield IL  62791 Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more.  Visit us at Goodsol.com. List Archive:  View past newsletters.

New Goodsol Solitaire Forum

The Goodsol Solitaire Forum has updated to new software.  Although the Forum has existed since 2003, I was unable to migrate the old posts to a new server, so it is starting over.

This is a great chance to check out the new forum at https://www.goodsol.net/forum

Create a forum account (it's easy), and post in Is It Winnable?.  Give a game number of a game (such as FreeCell) and someone will solve it.

If you have created a forum account in the past, you'll need to create a new account.

 

 

What are the Most Popular Solitaire Games?

In a recent Goodsol Newsletter, I asked my newsletter subscribers for their 5 most favorite solitaire games from my game Pretty Good Solitaire.  The results were interesting.

What was remarkable was how many different games were listed.  Over 300 different solitaire games were mentioned and no two people had the same list.  In fact, most people named at least one game that very few other people mentioned, meaning almost everyone has an obscure favorite that few other people play!

 

So let us look at the top 25 most favorite games from the survey.  Many of these games are games that are known to be popular, but there are a few surprises in the list.

 

 

1. FreeCell

2. Klondike

 

The top 2 games are no surprise.  FreeCell and Klondike (Windows Solitaire) are the two most popular and played games, so that they are at the top of the list is natural.

 

 

3. Demons and Thieves

 

But Demons and Thieves at #3 is a surprise.  Demons and Thieves is one of the first solitaire games that I invented back in 1996.  It is a combination of Canfield and Forty Thieves and has clearly become more popular than either of those two games.  The remarkable thing is that it not only made #3, it very nearly took out Klondike for #2.  Clearly people really like this game and if you haven't tried it, you should.

 

 

4. Quadruple Klondike

 

This is a strong showing for what is the clearly the most popular 4 deck game, just like Klondike but with many more cards.

 

 

5. Spider

6. Canfield

Two more classics that you would expect to see at the top of the list.

 

 

7. Penguin

This Eight Off variant created by David Parlett is clearly a very popular game.  

 

 

8. Pyramid

 

Another classic.

 

 

9. Agnes Three

 

Another surprise.  This 3 deck version of Agnes Bernauer that I created has become more popular than the one deck game it came from.  It's nice to see two of my original games in the top 10.

 

 

10. Spider One Suit

 

The easy version of Spider has been popular for all the 20 years it has been around.

 

 

11. Double Klondike

12.  Australian Patience

 

Australian Patience, suggested by a user of Pretty Good Solitaire in 1996, is very popular despite its difficulty.

 

 

13. Quadruple Interchange

 

Another surprise, this 4 deck version of Interchange that I created is considerably easier than its very difficult one deck version.

 

 

14. Patience's Reward

 

A huge surprise.  I invented this game in 1996, another of the very first games that I invented.  It's never gotten much notice, but it was amazing how often it was mentioned.

 

 

15. Scorpion

 

Another classic.

 

 

16. Thieves of Egypt

 

Thieves of Egypt is a Forty Thieves variant that I invented in the early 2000s and it was popular right from the start.

 

 

17. Buffalo Bill

 

Another big surprise.  Buffalo Bill is another invention of David Parlett, based on the game Little Billie,  It doesn't get talked about much, but it got mentioned a lot in the survey.

 

 

18.  Sea Towers

 

The classic FreeCell type game.

 

 

19. Lady Jane

 

Another game that I invented back in 1996, it has always been popular.  It is a two deck Klondike type game.

 

 

20. La Belle Lucie

21. Ukrainian Solitaire

22. Forty Thieves

23. Gaps

 

More games known to be popular.

 

 

24. Admiral's Patience

 

Another surprise. This is a 4 deck version of General's Patience that I invented relatively recently, so it is surprising to see it so high on the list already.  

 

 

25.  Gargantua

 

A classic 2 deck Klondike type game.

 

 

The next ten games after the top 25 are: Huge Spider, Yukon, Antares, Algerian Patience, Aces Up, Triple FreeCell, Triple Peaks, Wings, Greater Wheel, and Rouge et Noir.

 

Thanks to everyone who submitted their favorites, the response to the survey was amazing!  If you haven't played any of the games listed here, you should give them a try.

 

 

New Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition v3.52

A new version of Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is now available.  Version 3.52 fixes a number of issues in macOS 10.15 Catalina.  In particular, we hope this version will fix or greatly reduce the crashing issues some users have been experiencing.

To update, start the game, go to the Internet menu, select "Download Latest Version".  Then exit the game and replace with the new version.

The Mac App Store version will update in the near future (as the AppStore is closed for the holidays as far as new submissions are concerned).

If anyone still gets any crashing problems with this update, please send us a crash report by email.

 

 

Update on macOS 10.15 Catalina

It has become clear that macOS 10.15 (Catalina) is Apple's buggiest Mac update ever.  We have identified a number of bugs in Catalina that are causing crashes to our apps.

I highly recommend NOT updating to Catalina until Apple fixes these bugs.

We are working on updates for all of our apps (including Pretty Good Solitaire, which has already updated for Catalina).  We are also still at work on a big update for Pretty Good MahJongg.

These bugs do not affect all users, and the crashes do not happen all the time even if you are one of the users affected, so you can still play the games.  If you do get a crash, it may be helpful to us if you copy and paste the crash report and send it to us by email.  We are trying to find a way around these bugs in Catalina.

 

 

macOS Catalina

Earlier this week, Apple released macOS 10.15 Catalina.  I always recommend waiting a little while before upgrading to a new OS version, as the first versions often have problems.

But if you have already updated or will update soon, here is the status of our 5 macOS apps.  There are two issues that affect apps in Catalina.  One is that 32 bit apps no longer run in Catalina (64 bit apps only).  The other is that apps that are not "notarized" by Apple will only run with lowered security settings.

Our 5 apps are:

• Pretty Good Solitaire - app's site - Pretty Good Solitaire has been 64 bit since version 3.  With the release of version 3.5 in July, it is also now notarized.  Therefore all you need is the latest version.  If you have a previous version installed, just go to the Internet menu in the game, select "Download Latest Version" to update.

 

• FreeCell Plus - FCP site - FreeCell Plus has been 64 bit for several years.  With the release of version 4.38 earlier in October, it is also now notarized.  Therefore all you need is the latest version.  If you have a previous version installed, just go to the Internet menu in the game, select "Download Latest Version" to update.

 

• Most Popular Solitaire - MPS site - Most Popular Solitaire has been 64 bit for several years.  However, it is not yet notarized.  A new notarized version will be released soon.  But the current version will run in Catalina, although you may need to lower your security settings.  If you have an old 32 bit version installed, just go to the Internet menu in the game, select "Download Latest Version" to update.  (Update October 16 - just released a fully notarized and ready for Catalina version of Most Popular Solitaire).

 

• Goodsol Solitaire 101 - GS101 site - Goodsol Solitaire 101 has been 64 bit for several years.  However, it is not yet notarized.  A new notarized version will be released soon.  But the current version will run in Catalina, although you may need to lower your security settings.  If you have an old 32 bit version installed, just go to the Internet menu in the game, select "Download Latest Version" to update.

 

• Pretty Good MahJongg - PGMJ site - Unfortunately the latest version of Pretty Good MahJongg is still 32 bit.  We are working on an update that will make it 64 bit and notarized.  This new version is coming soon.

 

New Pretty Good MahJongg v2.7 for Windows with over 400 Games

Pretty Good MahJongg, our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire, has updated to version 2.70 (for Windows). This version adds 10 new tile matching layouts to bring the total to 355. It also contains 55 solitaire games with MahJongg tiles, for a total of over 400 games. 

This is an update to the Windows version, the Mac version will be updating soon also.

This is a free update for all registered users of Pretty Good MahJongg - just download the trial version and use your registration code to make it the full version (it will find your code automatically if you have the full version installed already).

Pretty Good MahJongg is solitaire with MahJongg tiles instead of playing cards. It features the classic MahJongg tile matching solitaire game, where tiles are removed in pairs, and original MahJongg solitaire games such as MahJongg Spider, MahJongg Klondike, and MahJongg FreeCell.

DOWNLOAD TRIAL - http://www.goodsol.com/pgmj/download.html
MORE INFORMATION - http://www.goodsol.com/pgmj