Game Review: Merchant's Solitaire

An important element of playing cards is the rank, the number value, the thing that's on the corner that tells you whether or not you have a good hand or not. These numbers tell us how to play card games as much as the rules. The game in this article uses the less-known mechanic of totaling card values but it's more than just cribbage or 99.

Merchant's Solitaire has you playing the role of a merchant trading wares with all your customers, and the goal is to be able to trade with them with neither side getting screwed over; miss one and you're out of town.

Your clientele consists of twelve court cards each coming to you with an item in hand to offer. To make a successful trade you must be able to exchange the exact value(of court card and the item in hand, aces 11) in exactly three cards that you have available at your store. Cards that match the customer's item's suit become free while aces in your store are either worth 11 or 1 as a special offer. If you make a successful deal you restock your shop and handle the next customer, if you fail your lose the whole game; this isn't Diner Dash.

In a sense this game is almost a dungeon crawler, but instead of beating monsters with a higher card count you're obliged to match HP with three cards and nothing accumulates on your end, as there is really no need. With these restrictions you have a bona fide puzzle game with enough randomness to be a mobile app that but won't try to sell you power-ups you if you fail a level.

Do note the numbers you have to deal with: summing 13 to 24 using three cards ranging from 0 to 11 from a limited pool. The suits changing value is the main addition to what would be an addition minigame you would find in an educational CD-ROM. In one round a card is a versatile and in the next it's literally worthless, so keep your flexibility.

I have made two comparisons to mini games but this is not meant as a putdown, in fact Merchant's Solitaire is an example that a good modern solitaire need not be complicated. Game variations include the risk of shrinking your options if you draw a Joker in the line (Thieves!), having to deal with more zero-value items per round (Tough Negotiatiors) and a mode that adds a score system where you score for trading cards matching the suit of the customer (Favorite Items), you lose the matching cards, this putting a tradeoff on the negotiating table.