''Hoyle's Official Book of Games'' (or Hoyle Series or Hoyle Games) is a series of games developed and published by

Sierra On-Line Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genr ...

. Volume 1, released in 1989, featured multi-player card games. Volume 2, released in 1990, featured 28 varieties of Solitaire. Volume 3, released in 1991, featured board games. Volume 4, was a remake of Volume 1, with two additional games. Sierra continued to publish more games to the series up to its demise.

Encore Software Encore Software, LLC ("Encore") is a Delaware limited liability company focused on software sales, distribution and software development. In November 2008, Encore announced an expanded license with Riverdeep. Under the terms of the agreement Encor ...

has continued publishing entries to the series since then. According to Hoyle 1, it was essentially a spiritual sequel to Sierra's '' Hi-Res Cribbage'' (1981).

Volume 1

Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 1 was the first card game simulator series released by Sierra entertainment. The series owes its name to

Edmond Hoyle Edmond Hoyle (167229 August 1769) was an English writer best known for his works on the rules and play of card games. The phrase "according to Hoyle" (meaning "strictly according to the rules") came into the language as a reflection of his gene ...

. The Hoyle trademark and facecards were used under license from Brown & Bigelow Inc.

Games

The games included are:

Crazy Eights Crazy Eights is a shedding-type card game for two to seven players and the best known American member of the Eights Group which also includes Pig and Spoons. The object of the game is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. The ga ...

Old Maid An old maid is a spinster. Old maid or Old Maid may also refer to: Games *Old maid (card game), a simple game popular around the world, existing in many variants *, a German card game (variant of ) whose name translates as 'old maid' Film * ' ...

, Hearts, Gin Rummy,

Cribbage Cribbage, or crib, is a card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points. It can be adapted for three or four players. Cribbage has several distinctive features: the cribbag ...

, and Klondike.

Characters

For all games, except the last, the player could choose opponents, each having their own AI and manner of playing. These opponents included historical figures, members of Sierra staff, and characters from Sierra games. When the player took too long making a decision, the characters started having dialogues, each according to his background. For example, Leisure Suit Larry begins to comment about women, while Roger Wilco wants to escape the game to save the universe again. * Sonny Bonds *Bulldog *Cassie *Christina *Devin *Diane * Colonel Henri Dijon * King Graham *The Kid *

Larry Laffer Lawrence Laffer is a player character and the protagonist in the ''Leisure Suit Larry'' series of adventure video games, created by Al Lowe and Mark Crowe for ''Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards'' in 1987 and later voiced by ...

Shelly LeBlanc Shelly or Shelli may refer to: Places * Shelly, Minnesota, a small city in the United States * Shelly, Richland Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States * Shelly Township, Norman County, Minnesota * Shelly Park, a suburb in Auckl ...

*Lenny *Jerry Moore *

Princess Rosella Princess Rosella is widely considered to be the first ever female protagonist in a graphic adventure game or one of the very first at least. She appeared as the main and titular protagonist of the 1988 adventure game, '' King's Quest IV: The Perils ...

* Warren Schwader * Sol Silverman *Thelma * Roger Wilco

Development

The original concept was submitted to Ken Williams (CEO/Founder of

) by Warren Schwader. Once the project was greenlit, Warren acted as the

Lead Programmer In software development, a lead programmer is responsible for providing technical guidance and mentorship to a team of software developers. Alternative titles include ''development lead'', ''technical lead'', ''lead programmer'', or ''lead applicat ...

as well as the

Game Designer Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

. The games were programmed using Sierra On-line's proprietary scripting language: Sierra Creative Interpreter (SCI). SCI was originally created to aid in the development of Sierra's core line of adventure games. Working with SCI to implement card games and to code artificial intelligence for the characters proved challenging. Warren Schwader continued as the Lead Programmer and Game Designer for the next two games in the series. Rob Atesalp was the composer and sound designer for the original and next two games.

Reception

The game sold over 250,000 copies by 1990.Sierra News Magazine (Fall 1990), vol. 3 issue 3, page 12.

Volume 2

Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 2 is the next volume in the Hoyle

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

s simulator series by

Sierra Entertainment Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, ...

. This time, the pack offered 28 games, as opposed to the first volume's six. The other main difference between the two was that all the games were solitaire variants, so there was no option for choosing opponents. Subsequently, the game did not feature any Sierra characters for co-players. The 28 solitaire games offered are:

Calculation A calculation is a deliberate mathematical process that transforms one or more inputs into one or more outputs or ''results''. The term is used in a variety of senses, from the very definite arithmetical calculation of using an algorithm, to th ...

Strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

Eagle Wing Eagle Wing (otherwise known as Thirteen Down) is a Patience game which is played with a deck of 52 playing cards. The game takes its name from the tableau which depicts an eagle-like bird spreading its wings in flight. It is somewhat related to ...

, Beleaguered Castle, Klondike, Canfield,

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

Flower Garden A flower garden or floral garden is any garden or part of a garden where plants that flower are grown and displayed. This normally refers mostly to herbaceous plants, rather than flowering woody plants, which dominate in the shrubbery and ...

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

Spiderette Spider is a type of patience game, and is one of the more popular two-deck solitaire games. The game originates in 1949, and its name comes from a spider's eight legs, referencing the eight foundation piles that must be filled to win the game. ...

La Belle Lucie La Belle Lucie is a patience or card solitaire where the object is to build the cards into the foundations. It is considered to be representative of the "fan" family of solitaire card games, and has a pleasing layout. While the game originat ...

Fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Baker's Dozen A dozen (commonly abbreviated doz or dz) is a grouping of twelve. The dozen may be one of the earliest primitive integer groupings, perhaps because there are approximately a dozen cycles of the Moon, or months, in a cycle of the Sun, or year ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, Eight Off, Shamrocks,

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, Eliminator, Slide, Bowling, Nestor, Aces Up,

Gaps Gaps is a member of the Montana group of Patience games, where the goal is to arrange all the cards in suit from Deuce (a Two card) to King. Other solitaire games in this family include Spaces, Addiction, Vacancies, Clown Solitaire, Paganini, ...

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

, Triplets, and Poker Square.

Volume 3

''Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 3'' was the third volume in

's series of computer games based on the officially licensed Hoyle rules and trademark. Unlike the two previous games, this one was made with Sierra's new improved VGA engine, and focused on

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

s, where the previous entries in the series had featured

s. Games featured were

Backgammon Backgammon is a two-player board game played with counters and dice on tables boards. It is the most widespread Western member of the large family of tables games, whose ancestors date back nearly 5,000 years to the regions of Mesopotamia and Pe ...

Checkers Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; British English), is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. Checkers ...

Dominoes Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...

Yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

(the original ancestor of the trademarked game

Yahtzee Yahtzee is a dice game made by Milton Bradley (a company that has since been acquired and assimilated by Hasbro). It was first marketed under the name of Yahtzee by game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe in 1956. The game is a development of earlier ...

Pachisi Pachisi (, Hindustani: əˈtʃiːsiː is a cross and circle board game that originated in Ancient India. It is described in the ancient text ''Mahabharata'' under the name of "Pasha". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross. A ...

, and Snakes and Ladders.

Characters

Like the first volume, and unlike the second volume, this game offers Sierra characters as opponents in the various games. They do not interact with each other or have conversations as in the first game, but several of them have themed comments, catch phrase or accented style comments (though these are uncommon). For example, the Sheriff may refer to himself as the "Great Nottingham", or Baba Yaga who refers to her opponents as 'dearie'. Some characters are more specific than others, and some are more generic. It also depends on the game, a character might have more interesting things to say about plays in one game, but have generic comments to say in another. ;Good guys *

Mother Goose The figure of Mother Goose is the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. As a character, she appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as a nursery rhyme. This, howeve ...

('' Mixed-Up Mother Goose'') * King Graham (''

King's Quest ''King's Quest'' is a graphic adventure game series, released between 1980 and 2016 and created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following th ...

'' series) * Rosella (''

'' series) *

(''

Leisure Suit Larry ''Leisure Suit Larry'' is an adult-themed sexual video game series created by Al Lowe. It was published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009, then by Codemasters starting in 2009. The first six ''Leisure Suit Larry'' titles, along with ''Magna Cum Lau ...

'' series) * Passionate Patti (''

'' series) * Jones (''

Jones in the Fast Lane ''Jones in the Fast Lane'' is a social simulation game for MS-DOS compatible operating systems. It was developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1991. Using a board game motif, the objective is to attain certain amounts of money, happin ...

'') * Sonny Bonds (''

Police Quest ''Police Quest'' (or ''SWAT'') is a series of police simulation video games produced and published by Sierra On-Line between 1987 and 1998. The first five were adventure simulation games, the first three of which were designed by former police ...

'' series) * Roger Wilco (''

Space Quest ''Space Quest'' is a series of six comic science fiction adventure games released between 1986 and 1995. The games follow the adventures of a hopeless janitor named Roger Wilco, who campaigns through the galaxy for "truth, justice and really cl ...

'' series) *

Laura Bow ''The Colonel's Bequest'' is a character-driven graphic adventure game by Sierra On-Line featuring the character of Laura Bow. It was developed for MS-DOS in 1989. Ports for Amiga and Atari ST were released in 1990. It was the first of the short ...

(''

The Colonel's Bequest ''The Colonel's Bequest'' is a character-driven graphic adventure game by Sierra On-Line featuring the character of Laura Bow. It was developed for MS-DOS in 1989. Ports for Amiga and Atari ST were released in 1990. It was the first of the shor ...

'' and ''

The Dagger of Amon Ra ''Roberta Williams' Laura Bow in The Dagger of Amon Ra'' (also known as ''Laura Bow II'') is a computer game published by Sierra On-Line in 1992. The game is the second and final installment in ''The Laura Bow Mysteries'' line of adventure games, ...

'') ;Evil guys * Ad Avis (''

Quest for Glory II ''Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire'' is the second video game in Sierra On-Line's ''Quest for Glory'' series, and the sequel to '' Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero''. Gameplay The game's interface is a text parser, which requires the playe ...

'') *

Baba Yaga In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga, also spelled Baba Jaga (from Polish), is a supernatural being (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who appears as a deformed and/or ferocious-looking woman. In fairy tales Baba Yaga flies around in a ...

('' Quest for Glory I'') * Lillian (''

'') * Arnoid (''

Space Quest III ''Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon'' is a 1989 graphic adventure game by Sierra On-Line, and the third game in the ''Space Quest'' series. Plot Roger Wilco's escape pod from the end of ''Space Quest II'' is floating in space until it ...

'') * Mordack ('' King's Quest V'') * Mr. Big ('' Leisure Suit Larry V'') * Lolotte ('' King's Quest IV'') * Vohaul (''

Space Quest II ''Space Quest II: Chapter II – Vohaul's Revenge'', commonly known as ''Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge'', is a graphic adventure game released on November 14, 1987 by Sierra On-Line. It was the sequel to '' Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter'' ...

'') *

Sheriff of Nottingham The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, ...

('' Conquests of the Longbow'')

Hoyle Classic Card Games (Hoyle 4)

Hoyle Classic Card Games (Hoyle 4) was a remake of Volume I, released with VGA support, speech and original soundtrack. There was a set with 'Classic Characters' to play with and one with an increased number of Sierra characters as well. Load screens involve a silly comments made by the Classic characters, in relationship to whatever game was loading. The number of games was increased to eight, with the inclusion of

Contract Bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions o ...

and

Euchre Euchre or eucre () is a trick-taking card game commonly played in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and the United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. Normally there are four players, two on e ...

. There is some digitized speech for each character. Each character has five unique expressions in full speech (ranging from dislike at the plays, happiness, or praise). There are a few additional text based messages in theme for each character for some of the games, but only relate to the gameplay (characters do not have conversations with each other outside of the scope of the game). All the artwork and character sprites look like old fashioned and sepia-toned. Classic characters: * Dinky * Scout * Crazy Jack * Trudy * Josephine * Billy Joe * Chip * Winthorp * Fairbanks Sierra characters: * King Graham * Pepper * Willy Beamish * Larry Laffer * Quarky * Laura Bow * Adam * Roger Wilco * Dr. Brain.

Hoyle Classic Games (Hoyle 5)

The first CD-ROM version of the game (1995), has over 30 characters to choose from including 'animated', 'icon', and 'business'.

Characters

;Animated * Jeb * Leopold * Natasha * Stella * Luke * Sam * Capt. Barnes * Beatrice * Dorothie * Toby * Finnian ;Business * Noel * Lance * Beverly * Rose * Sharon * Roger * Jim * Heidi * Kate * Maxwell * Phillip

Other games in the series

By the late 1990s, the new versions of each game were published almost yearly. * ''Hoyle Classic'' * ''Hoyle Classic Games'' (1995) * ''Hoyle Classic Games 2'' (1999) * ''Hoyle Classic Solitaire'' (1996, 1998) * ''Hoyle Classic Board Games'' (1997) * ''Hoyle Board Games'' (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) * ''Hoyle Classic Board Games Collection'' (2012) * ''Hoyle Card Games'' (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) * ''Hoyle Card Games'' (2010) * ''Hoyle Card Games'' (2012) * ''Hoyle Bridge'' (1997) * ''Hoyle Backgammon'' * ''Hoyle Backgammon & Cribbage'' * ''Hoyle Blackjack'' (1996) * ''Hoyle Craps & Blackjack'' (1999) * ''Hoyle Hearts & Spades'' (1998, 1999) * ''Hoyle Poker'' (1997) (a.k.a. ''Hoyle Classic Poker'' and ''Hoyle Friday Night Poker'') * ''Hoyle Crosswords'' (1999) * ''Hoyle Enchanted Puzzles'' * ''Hoyle Kids Games'' (2000, 2001) * ''Hoyle Children's Collection'' (1996) * ''Hoyle Children's Collection'' (2007) * ''Hoyle Slots & Video Poker'' (with Horse Racing) (1999) * ''Hoyle Slots'' (2001) * ''Hoyle Solitaire and Mahjong Tiles'' (1999, 2000) * ''Hoyle Puzzle Games'' (2002, 2003) * ''Hoyle Puzzle & Board Games'' (2004) * ''Hoyle Puzzle & Board Games'' (2008) * ''Hoyle Puzzle & Board Games'' (2009) * ''

Hoyle Casino ''Hoyle Casino'' is a virtual casino video game series, developed and published originally by Sierra Entertainment and since 2005 by Encore, Inc. It is a spin-off of Sierra's ''Hoyle's Official Book of Games'' series. Set in a virtual Las Vegas ...

'' series (1996–2016) * ''

Hoyle Casino Empire ''Hoyle Casino Empire'' (''Casino Empire'' in Europe) is a business simulation game on Windows computers, in which the player must run a casino and try to make profit, attract customers and get good ratings. It was developed by an in-house inter ...

'' (2002) * ''Hoyle Table Games'' (2003) * ''Hoyle Word Games'' (1999, 2000, 2001) * ''Hoyle Majestic Chess'' (2003) * ''Hoyle Bridge & Euchre'' (1998, 1999) * ''Hoyle Texas Hold'Em'' (2006) * ''Hoyle Battling Ships & War'' (1998) * ''Hoyle Mahjong Tiles'' (2000) * ''Hoyle Puzzle Board Games'' (2012) * ''Hoyle Classic Board Game Collection 2'' (2012) * ''Hoyle Card, Puzzle & Board Games'' (2013) * ''Hoyle Card Games'' (Game Boy Color)

Collections

* ''Xplosiv'' (2001) :Board, Card, Casino * ''Hoyle Collection'' (2003) :Card, Casino * ''Hoyle Games 2003'' (2003) * ''Hoyle Classic Games Pack: Fun for the Whole Family'' (2003) :Includes Hoyle Classic Games 2, Hoyle Slots/Video Poker, and Hoyle. SOlitaire/Majong, and Hoyle Friday Night Poker. * ''Hoyle Game Collection'' (2001) :Includes Hoyle Board Games, Hoyle Card Games, Hoyle Texas Hold'Em, and Hoyle Slots, and Video Poker.

Reception

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...

'' stated that interacting with Sierra characters in ''Volume 1'' such as Leisure Suit Larry and Princess Rosella was fun, but annoying for those who preferred cards to humor. It criticized ''Volume 1'' for slow performance and cribbage's deviation from the official Hoyle's rules, and stated that the other games were "really children's games and offer no great excitement".

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite magazine , url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=67 , title=These Characters Are Real Cards / Sierra's "Hoyle's Book of Games: Volume 1" , magazine=Computer Gaming World , date=January 1990 , access-date=15 November 2013 , author=Lasky, Michael S. , pages=48 , issue=67 1989 video games 1990 video games 1991 video games Activision Blizzard franchises Amiga games Atari ST games Digital card games Classic Mac OS games DOS games Multiple-game video board games North America-exclusive video games Patience video games ScummVM-supported games Sierra Entertainment games Tile-based video games Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1989 Video games developed in the United States