[app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/app/best-gin-rummy/id558207346″]
If you’re one of millions who have whittled away countless hours playing Solitaire on your Windows PC, you’ll understand the allure of simple card games. There’s something cathartic about shuffling through deck after deck of digital hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds, hoping for that perfect card to swing the game. Best Gin Rummy harks back to these simpler times, with a barebones version of Gin Rummy which is about as straightforward as you’re likely to find.
Simplicity can be a virtue, and while most developers are making their games as flashy as possible Kuralsoft can be praised for not draping unnecessary bells whistles all over this one. But perhaps this is simplicity taken a little too far? As the name suggests, what we’ve got here is the timeless Gin Rummy formula, and not much else.
Pure Gin Rummy, with no frills
One game mode, playable against one faceless AI-controlled opponent, with not even a hint of ceremony to accompany that hard-fought win. For purists the stark atmosphere here will probably suffice, but the whole game could do with a bit of a aesthetic overhaul to capture a wider audience.
Tired presentation aside, the core game is delightfully addictive, even against a computer opponent. For the uninitiated, it’s all about melding your hand of ten cards into packs of three or more, in similar style to a good poker hand, and having as few extra cards left over. In Gin Rummy it’s the low cards you’re after, as it’s their values which determine the score at the end of each round. Find yourself left with a hand full of face cards and you’re going to have a bad time. Put simply, you want to meld all of your cards into packs before your opponent does. Like many classic games, it’s hardly rocket science, and that’s the beauty of it.
The classic game, distilled into digital form
As a digital interpretation of a century-old card game, Best Gin Rummy does what it sets out to do – to let you play a quick, simple game of Gin Rummy wherever you are. The basic tap interface is intuitive enough, although it would be hard to get it wrong – you’re really just tapping a few cards on the screen until someone wins. It was never going to be a game which pushes boundaries in any direction, but it clearly doesn’t aim to be.
Does Best Gin Rummy deserve its title? Probably not – there are a number of Gin Rummy options on the App Store, a few of which offer the same basic gameplay in a far more polished package. Best Gin Rummy is free, easy to play, and small enough to download in a flash, but if you’re looking for anything beyond the bare essentials, you’ll be disappointed.
Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.