Introduction

Everyone enjoys playing solitaire, but most people know only one or two games. Actually, there are hundreds of different games that one person can play with one or two decks of cards. They are all solitaires, and each has its own name and its own special challenges and delights.

Solitaire Till Dawn is a program that will let you play 33 different solitaires on your Macintosh. If you know only one solitaire, it’s probably the one called “Klondike.” It’s in here, but don’t pass up the others! You’ll be delighted by the variety and challenge offered by these games.

If you want to leap right in, just start up Solitaire Till Dawn by double-clicking it. It will automatically lay out a game of Klondike for you, and you will probably have no trouble figuring out how to use the mouse to play.

If you need more information, read on! We do recommend that you read the chapters on Preferences and Card Shark Features. You don’t have to read them first, but you should read them soon so you’ll know about all the special features that Solitaire Till Dawn offers.

Rules for the Games

Full rules for all the games are in the Solitaire Till Dawn Games Guide, which you will find in the same folder with this document and Solitaire Till Dawn. The Games Guide also explains the special words used in talking about solitaire rules, has an index of all the different names the 33 games are known by (many have more than one name), and gives difficulty ratings for all games.

How to Use Solitaire Till Dawn

To learn more about the Solitaire Till Dawn program, see the appropriate chapter in this document. To read a chapter, select it by name from the Chapter menu, or click on the Chapter buttons at the top-right of this window until you find the one you want. If a chapter has pictures, you can see them by selecting them by name from the Pictures menu. The chapters are:

Installation — Setting up Solitaire Till Dawn.

Getting Started — The basics. How to move the cards, deal, undo and redo moves, and so on.

New Games, Saved Games, and Game IDs — Starting new games, selecting which kind of game to play, saving games, resuming from saved games, and sending game IDs to your friends so you can play the exact same games and compare results.

The Card Shark Features — Explains the Card Shark features for intelligent game play, and the options and commands available under the Card Shark menu.

Preferences — Explains the options available to you in the Preferences menu, and explains how you can keep separate preferences and scores for each player in your household.

Magnetic Mouse — Explains the “Magnetic Mouse” feature, that lets you play solitaire without having to press keys or click the mouse button. This is a great feature for avoiding repetitive strain injuries!

Score and Statistics — Explains how Solitaire Till Dawn scores your games, keeps records of your wins and losses, and displays your score and stats in the game window.

The Sample Games — We have included a set of sample games that can show you, by example, how to play an unfamiliar game. See this chapter for instructions on how to use them.

Trouble-Shooting — Common problems and how to solve them.

Bibliography — If you’ve played all the games that Solitaire Till Dawn offers, and you still want more, check out the Bibliography. It lists several books that you might find at your bookstore or library that can teach you more games, and more about the history and lore of solitaire.

How to Purchase

Solitaire Till Dawn is sold as shareware. To purchase Solitaire Till Dawn and register your copy, use the “Register” application that came with this package. Full instructions are in the chapter named How To Purchase later in this document.

To contact us, or to learn more about our company and products, read the chapter About Semicolon Software.