Solitaire: Deck of Cods is a great Solitaire game for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The main feature that sets this game apart from other solitaire games is the theme of the game. The game has a fishing theme. As players are solving the Solitaire board, they are catching fish. Each level has a set goal that does not involve clearing the entire board. Some times players have to catch a certain amount of fish, while other times players have to catch a certain length fish and still other times players have to do both.

There are many different types of Solitaire games and really any game a player plays by themselves with cards is considered a Solitaire game. In Solitaire: Deck of Cods players have to use the face up card to “count” using the cards on the board. In other words, if there is a four face up players can use a five or a three to place on top of the four and keep going up or down from there. The longer the game play continues, the bigger the fish the player is catching. There is a draw pile for when there are no more cards in sequence.

Each Solitaire board gets harder as the game progresses. The game starts out with all of the cards showing and a good amount of cards in the draw pile. The harder boards will have less and less cards visible and a smaller draw pile. It becomes challenging to keep the cards “counting” and get the length of fish needed to pass the level or catch enough fish to pass a level. The fish need to be longer than 2 inches to get caught. Every time a card is played successfully the length of a fish grows. Players need to play at least three cards in a row to catch an acceptable fish.

The higher levels get challenging, but like any good game there are power ups to help players along. The power ups in this game come in the form of lore cards, which are wild cards, fish food, which shuffles the cards on the board and a fish finder that reveals all the hidden cards on the board. The lore cards can be used at any time and the player keeps the counting going using the number on the lore card. The lore cards are very helpful since players are able to choose the card they want to build off of. If the board has a lot of 6, 7, 8 and 9 cards showing and the player has a 5 lore card, the player can play the lore card and clear some of the other cards off of the board.

Solitaire: Deck of Cods utilizes the touch screen for the controls. Players simply touch the draw pile to have a card flip over and touch the card on the board to play the card. The lore cards and fish food are kept on the side of the screen and are used by touching them too. The controls are simple and easy to use.

The graphics in the game are nice to look at and the fish theme is displayed through out the game. The boards are all set on top of water and a boat has a fishing line hanging into the water. The fish “grows” as the user plays and the fish that are caught land in a basket in the right corner of the screen. The goal is on the basket and is marked with a green check mark when complete.

Over all, Solitaire: Deck of Cods is a fun Solitaire game that offers plenty of game play and plenty of challenge. The challenge increases nicely and is random to a certain point. Each level has a random set of cards and some random sets play better than others, but that is part of the fun. It is always satisfying to complete a goal with a less than stellar board. If you enjoy Solitaire games, you can’t go wrong with Solitaire: Deck of Cods.