Classic card, board, number and word games

Where to start with classic card, board, number and word games

The familiar games many of us grew up playing at the kitchen table or on an old office computer, from Klondike, Spider, FreeCell and Pyramid solitaire to Hearts, gin rummy, checkers, Shut the Box, mancala and sudoku, kept to their traditional rules and given big, easy-to-read pieces and no timer pressure. Pick the one you already know, or try a new one with hints that explain the next step.

• Klondike Solitaire (Porch Swing Solitaire): build seven columns down in alternating colors and send every card home, with Draw 1 or Draw 3, winnable deals and a daily deal, on a quilt-covered porch table.
• Spider Solitaire (Dewdrop Garden Solitaire): gather ten columns into runs from King to Ace with one, two or four suits, on a potting bench in a sunny greenhouse.
• FreeCell Solitaire (Snowberry Cabin Solitaire): deal every card face up and use four free cells to sort eight columns home, with classic deal numbers and a daily deal, in a snowy log cabin.
• Pyramid Solitaire (Puffin Bluff Solitaire): pair free cards that add up to 13 to clear a 28-card pyramid, with one, three or unlimited passes, winnable deals and a daily deal, on a picnic table above the sea.
• Checkers (Kingfisher Canal Checkers): move diagonally, jump to capture and crown kings against Otis the otter, with compulsory jumps, step-by-step multi-jumps, Gentle, Steady and Sharp levels and hints, on the table of a canal boat.
• Shut the Box (Meadowlark Barn Shut the Box): roll two dice and shut the tiles that add up, alone or taking turns with Posy the goat, with the classic 1 to 9 box or boxes of 10 and 12, exact hints and Gentle, Steady and Sharp levels, in a sunny hayloft.
• Hearts (Kettle Burrow Hearts): pass three cards, follow suit and dodge the hearts and the queen of spades with Hazel the hedgehog, Bertie the badger and Mabel the mole, with Gentle, Steady and Sharp levels and hints, in a burrow kitchen.
• Gin Rummy (Birch Cove Gin Rummy): draw, throw and build sets and runs, then knock or go gin before Murray the moose does, with Gentle, Steady and Sharp levels, melds sorted for you and hints, on a lakeside cabin dock.
• Mancala (Sunflower Mill Mancala): sow seeds around a carved board and fill your store before Pepper the field mouse does, with Gentle, Steady and Sharp levels, hints and unlimited undo, in a sunflower field.
• TriPeaks Solitaire (Cozy Peaks Solitaire): clear three peaks of cards one rank up or down on a hillside garden, build long streaks and fill crop orders for animal neighbors.
• Golf Solitaire (Buttercup Links Golf Solitaire): clear seven face-up columns one rank up or down on a country course, and play nine holes against par.
• Mahjong Solitaire (Teahouse Mahjong): match free tiles through 36 boards in four seasonal tea rooms, with cute garden tiles or the classic set.
• Sudoku (Sprout Sudoku): classic 9x9 puzzles from Gentle to Expert, hints that explain the next step, and a garden with a flower for every puzzle.
• Killer Sudoku (Sprout Killer Sudoku): cage sum puzzles from Easy to Expert and a daily puzzle, with a helper that lists each cage’s sum combinations and hints that name the technique.
• Nonogram Puzzles (Little Stitches): picture logic in a cross-stitch hoop: 72 hand-drawn patterns from 5x5 to 10x15, hints that explain each step, and eight quilts to sew together.
• Word Search Puzzles (Cottage Word Search): find the words in 48 themed puzzles through four seasons, and the leftover letters spell a cozy saying.
• Jigsaw Puzzles (Rainy Day Jigsaw): put together twelve illustrated cozy scenes in 12 to 96 pieces, with an edges filter, peek and hints.