Four Aces 1.2

This applet requires a browser with Java 1.0 support. Here is a picture of the game:

Instructions

The object of the game is to go through the entire deck and have only the four aces remaining at the end of the game. Here are the possible actions:

• Deal - Click on the draw pile on the left to deal one card into each of the four stacks on the right.
• Remove a Card - If there are two cards of the same suit in the stacks on the right, you can click on the card with the lower value to remove it. Aces have the highest value, then kings, and so on down to twos. Again, the goal is to remove all of the cards except for the aces.
• Move a Card - If one of the stacks is empty, you can move the top card from another stack to that position. Simply click on the card you want to move to highlight it. Then click on the empty space to move the highlighted card there. This will uncover the cards beneath the card that was moved, so they may be removed.

Keyboard users: The space bar can be used to deal the cards, and the number keys '1' through '4' select the corresponding card stacks, from left to right. The 'F2' key can be used to immediately start a new game. (You may still need to click on the Java applet with a mouse to give it the focus. That type of thing is browser-specific.)

That's it! The rules are simple, but the game is very difficult to win. Don't say I didn't warn you. (The odds of winning are supposedly 1 in 25, but I have only won twice myself.) For the boring technical details and to download the source code, see the release notes. If you experience any problems while playing, please let me know.

Tiny Game

Version 1.2 of the applet supports parameters in the HTML file to control the applet's appearance. Here is an example using the same applet, but with tiny cards on a white background:

This button will open a small pop-up window using JavaScript, and is useful for "testing" the applet while at your place of employment. If it doesn't work, try this link instead.