Free Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is freeware and an implementation of the classic solitaire game.

Spider Solitaire is a freeware solitaire game, which means you can download and play it as often and as much as you like without paying anything at all, and many have. In fact, Spider Solitaire by Media Freeware is one of the most downloaded solitaire games ever developed, and it is available on many platforms beyond just Windows, including mobile devices.

It is worth mentioning that Spider Solitaire by Media Freeware is probably not the most played solitaire game. The title arguably belongs to Spider Solitaire by Microsoft, which is included free with Windows. Why is this worth mentioning? Well, if you are reading this, you likely already have a spider solitaire game installed. The software by Microsoft is updated to the version of Windows you are using. It is also updated visually and includes a lot of bells and whistles that this program does not. This program has not been updated since Windows Vista and may require compatibility mode in order to run.

Before digging into this program in particular, let us discuss Spider a bit. Spider is a specific kind of solitaire game, which are often referred to as patience games in Europe. Solitaire games are logic-based challenges with a bit of luck tossed in that you can play by yourself. Spider usually employs two decks and involves dealing 54 cards into a tableau. The topmost cards are face up but all others are face down. The remaining 50 cards go into a draw pile. Suit-based stacks are developed at the bottom of the gameplay area as you draw cards and remove cards from the tableau. There is a scoring system, and some play with time and/or move limits in order to increase the challenge even more.

Perhaps the biggest issue most players will have with this Spider Solitaire implementation is how narrow its scope is. It offers the classic spider layout but none of the others. It does not include any of the popular spider variants, such as Simple Simon and Will o’ the Wisp. It also does not include any other kinds of solitaire. This means that the game can get quite repetitive even if you adore solitaire, and you will probably need multiple solitaire programs installed. The game also lacks features that are common to modern solitaire games, such as hints and ensuring that a dealt hand is winnable.

On the other hand, Spider Solitaire does boast a lot of features that solitaire fans do expect. It tracks your time played on a per-hand basis, but offers no option to pause, which is a gripe we have with many programs in this field. It tracks moves, and even lets undo moves and lower the count in the process. It tracks how far a long you are to completion via a percentage. It also displays your score for the current hand, and you can set how the game scores you based on some popular scoring systems.

One thing this Spider Solitaire does well that many others do not is the concept of replayability. Whenever a game is created, you can view its unique identifier—or seed. You can have the game rebuild a hand by providing a seed. Did a hand not unfold as you expected? Enter the seed and have another go. You can also use this feature to see if you can beat your score, time or move count. Tracking your overall bests is probably more enjoyable, but this did provide for an interesting diversion for a time.

Solitaire games are not known for their great graphics, but this one stands out for how old it appears. It actually got a redesign when Windows Vista, but it was already looking a bit long in the tooth at release. Compare it to Spider Solitaire by Microsoft and you may be shocked by how it looks. Perhaps this is not a huge deal for solitaire, but with the power of modern PCs, having playing surfaces and cards that actually look like playing surfaces and cards is not asking much.

Spider Solitaire does allow you to customize the visuals, however. You can use practically any image that you have on your computer or can find on the web as your wallpaper—or playing surface. You can do this for card backs as well. Let us temper your expectations. Most imported files make the game looking even worse. But if you have a talent for this sort of design and do not mind putting in the effort, you can actually get this Spider Solitaire to look pretty good.

As mentioned in the opener, Spider Solitaire by Media Freeware is freeware—as in actually free. Why is this worth mentioning? Well, there has been a trend in solitaire games—particularly in the mobile space—to bombard the user with ads and microtransactions after installation. You will find none of that here. On the downside, Spider Solitaire seems to no longer be supported. The Media Freeware site is still up, but the company has shifted its focus exclusively toward utilities. Do not expect any updates, and if you have an issue, support will not be available and no patch will be on the horizon.