Almost every computer these days comes with some free games preloaded on them. These games can provide plenty of entertainment and ways to kill some time or even slack at work. Often these games are card games, and we've all seen the ubiquitous solitaire computer card game. Who hasn't wiled away an hour clicking through game after game of solitaire? Despite the addictive nature of the game, it can get old after a while, and you might want to start looking around for new games to play.



There are innumerable card games available on the internet. Most of the games are ones you're probably already familiar with. This would include favorites such as blackjack, poker (which has become hugely popular), hearts, spades, gin, cribbage, bridge, etc. There are also more than a few different versions of solitaire available. You can also find countless original card games on the internet. These are games which this or that person invented and shared with the world. They may use conventional card sets or they may rely on totally new sets you've never seen before. The limit, of course, is the human imagination.

You can download games for free or you can buy them. The difference between free games and ones that cost money are getting relatively small. You can find all sorts of great games for free. Usually the ones that cost money have better graphics and more features, but basically there aren't a lot of differences. Pretty much any card game you want to play can be downloaded for free.

You may wonder why you'd want to download a game instead of just playing it online. Downloading games allows you to play them whether you're connected to the internet or not. If you connect to the internet via dial up, then downloading games is a good idea because they're usually fairly small files, and since you're playing on your own computer the gameplay will be faster due to not having to worry about your connection speed. And if you're on a limited data plan, playing online can burn valuable bandwidth. Again, you're better off relying on your computer's processor speed than the speed of your internet connection.

Having said that, if you have broadband access and/or aren't concerned about being able to play anywhere you want, you can find all sorts of free online games. The advantage to playing online is that you can play against other people who can be anywhere in the world.

Next time you're clicking through another boring game of solitaire, switch to your web browser and start searching for new card games. You'll be amazed by the sheer number of games out there. Whether you're looking for Texas Hold 'em, blackjack, hearts, or an interesting new version of solitaire, you'll be sure to find something fun to download from the internet.