Last week, Encore Software announced that they were releasing three new additions to their Hoyle game series for Mac and PC users. The new Hoyle Puzzle & Board 2009, Hoyle Card 2009 and Hoyle Casino 2009 are now available for fewer than twenty dollars apiece.

Hoyle Puzzle and Board Games takes traditional puzzle games and puts them together. This collection includes games such as Hangman, Mahjong, Anagrams and Sudoku, plus many crossword puzzles. The Big Bang Board Games is also included which contains a collection of board games that includes Backgammon, Checkers, Chess and other games.

Players can play against interactive computer opponents or against players using the same computer. As you play, you earn Hoyle Bucks that can be used to get new backgrounds, music tracks and other bonuses.

The new 2009 version of Hoyle Casino has new animation, graphics and game play. VIP rewards can be earned that will allow players to compete in tournaments; new slot games and unlock bonus content. The new Hoyle Cards version has several hundreds of different games.

The Cards version is similar to the Casino version as players can unlock bonus content. Players can also upload images to create their own slot machine and compete in online tournaments.

These new releases will give a fresh look and feel to the traditional games such as Backgammon and Chess. Depending on the title, some systems requirements may be needed to run the games, as some require Intel processors.


- 2008-10-01