Overview
Spider Solitaire (also known as Microsoft Spider Solitaire and Spider) is a digital card solitaire game developed and published by Microsoft for Windows PCs in 1998 (as part of the Microsoft Plus! 98 package). It was later included with all installations of the Microsoft Windows operating systems from Windows Me to Windows 7.
Based on the Spider variant of the solitaire card game, Spider Solitaire has players managing ten cascades of cards ("columns"), in addition to cards drawn from the deck, in order to create complete sets of single suits (which removes them from the board).
Originally released as part of the Microsoft Plus! 98 expansion (along with demos of Microsoft Golf: 1998 Edition and Lose Your Marbles), it was included in subsequent Windows releases (along with other games, namely Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Hearts), where it gained in popularity.
The version of the game included in both Windows Vista and Windows 7, developed in part by Oberon Games, features enhanced graphical updates, adding new themes for both the card deck (Classic, Hearts, Seasons, and Large Print) and the background (Classic Felt, Red Hearts, Green Nature, Red Felt, and Brown Felt), while supporting the Windows Media Center service for use with TVs.
Beginning with Windows 8, the game itself is no longer included in Windows installations. However, a successor to it is available as part of the free-to-play Microsoft Solitaire Collection. Like other pack-in games that are kept when upgrading the Windows operating system, the base installation of the pack-in version of Spider Solitaire is removed completely once an April 2018 update of Windows 10 is applied.
Log in to comment