PC Solitaire Gets Deluxe Makeover with AcidSolitaire - 100,000 Winnable Hands, Animated Hints, Click-to-Move & More

Includes Game Difficulty Ranking, Detailed Tracking of Games Played

NORTHBROOK, IL (September 20, 2005) - Solitaire is the world's most commonly played computer game, but standard versions are plagued by problems ranging from visual clutter to random dealing that typically makes one-third of all hands impossible to win. Red Mercury's new AcidSolitaire changes the game - literally - with 100,000 guaranteed-to-be-winnable hands that are ranked by difficulty level and come complete with an animated hint system, a simplified card design, and a mechanism for tracking detailed information on each game you play.

The game designers have filtered out all combinations of cards that cannot yield a winning game, then arranged and numbered all remaining hands in ascending order of difficulty. You get 50,000 games in Deal 1 mode (one card dealt at a time) and 50,000 games in the more difficult Deal 3 mode (three cards dealt at a time with certain restrictions on card movement that make the game more challenging). Beginners can start with Game 1/Deal 1, while more advanced players can jump in anywhere on the continuum. You can replay any game you lose at any time to increase your win ratio.

Special features include:

• 'Sparkle' hints - If you're stumped on a move or want to double-check your strategy, a click on the menu or a keyboard shortcut will trigger a hint system illustrating the best possible move with an animated sparkle icon. Alternatively, if your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can scroll through a sparkle display of all possible moves and select the one you want with a press of the wheel.
• Intelligent single-click placement - In addition to standard drag-and-drop card placement, AcidSolitaire provides a one-click 'IntelliMove' system. If you click the card, the game will intelligently place it in the correct location.
• Game-by-game statistics tracking - Instead of simply tracking each game played as won or lost, AcidSolitaire tracks specific games won and played. This makes it possible to try a difficult game or replay any lost game without penalty, as well as to track won games without counting the same game twice. Everything about each game is recorded, including the number of hints used during each game, the number of moves used to win, the elapsed time to win, the overall win percentage, daily and overall minutes played, fastest game played, least number of moves required to win a game, and more.
• Customizable backgrounds - The game comes with a default background that can be customized with your personal digital photos, including the option to display a new photo each time you win a game.
• Play-it-your-size - The cards have a clean, easy-to-read design that makes it possible to play the game in any size, even if the cards must be very tiny to accommodate smaller windows. The cards automatically adjust to the screen size you set, appearing in high resolution at the smallest sizes and larger if you prefer to play at full screen.
• Easy stop and go - Whenever you quit a game, the system automatically saves it where you left off so that you can resume at any time. If you begin using another application, the game window fades into the background to avoid interfering with your other activities. Simple tutorials are included for new players unfamiliar with the rules of solitaire.

Pricing and Specifications

The full version of AcidSolitaire can be downloaded at http://www.red-mercury.com free for 15 days, then purchased for $19.95. It is also available in Freecell and Spider versions of solitaire, with the same features, for $19.95 per title. Discounts are available when purchasing more than one title. All versions require Windows 2000 or XP.

About Red Mercury

Red Mercury is a developer and publisher of entertainment software for PCs and handheld devices. Its flagship AcidSolitaire Collection includes AcidSolitaire, AcidFreecell and AcidSpider. The company was found in 1999 and is based in Northbrook, Illinois. For more information, visit http://www.red-mercury.com.

Red Mercury, AcidSolitaire, AcidFreecell are registered trademarks, and AcidSpider, IntelliMove, Sparkle Hints, and EZ Play are trademarks of Red Mercury, LLC. All others are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.