Fugdale’s Funhouse

Object: Be the first to lay all your cards in sequence on the two piles.

Review: Most people have, at some time in their lives, played fun little dueling card games such as War, Slap Jack or Speed. Now for those who lead a solitary life or who can’t afford a real deck of cards, I present to you today an online version of Speed. You play against the computer (who plays at the pace of someone’s great grandmother). The game deals both players a stack of cards, five of which are visible on the table. In the center of the table, lie two face up cards and two draw piles.

When the game starts each player scrambles to place a card of a rank one higher or one lower than either of the two cards on the table. If you perform fast enough, you can run a string of cards up or down. But, the computer player will also try to stack its cards on the same piles. If you have a quick finger, you can usually slip in your card before the computer has a chance, but even at a slow pace, you will sometimes find the computer can easily beat you. If both players have no playable card, the two draw piles will turn red, so you can flip up new table cards.

The online game doesn’t have the frantic pace of the real version. On the other hand, it doesn’t have all the bent cards or bruised knuckles that accompany the real version. But, for a quick and easy diversion that only lasts a few minutes, give this game a try. Unfortunately, after each round, the game sends you to an inactive web-page and you have to click the back button in order to play an additional round-a minor glitch, which may get fixed at some point or not.