If you fancy winning trophies, exploring different rooms, playing a lot of bridge and winning competitions, however slowly, then this is the game for you.

Visually, it's quite appealing. You can get up and wander around the room, gaze out the window, watch the sunset and interact with many objects in the room, but you're really there to play bridge, not gaze at the scenery.  When you win enough games you qualify for the Club Room, then the Tournament Room.  Unfortunately, the program doesn't mention the fact that you have to get up, notice an invitation on the mantelpiece and click on it to go through to the Club Room.  You could be stuck playing in the Home Room forever, if you don't get a little curious.  As an attempt to add a little bit of "gaming" quality to the bridge game, however, it's an interesting idea: a variation on the 'high score tables'.  There is a sense of progression which you don't get in the standard bridge games.

For Beginners:

Despite the much advertised tutorials, it is not really suitable for an absolute beginner. The conventions aren't explained and the tutorials are to be read only.  They are really just the equivalent of what you can get in the bridge column of the local paper. They might contain good advice but a learner needs to play the hand and be able to change and try different things and see why they work or don't work.  The lack of flexibility in the program will also hamper the beginner.  Except in practice games, you can't change mistakes in bidding and it is very easy to hit the 7 hearts button which is just above the pass button on the bidding pad.  Try playing in 7 hearts doubled with only 2 hearts and no way of going back or running the bidding again.  It can be very challenging. 

For the advanced bridge player:

The club and tournament levels may be challenging, but there is no way you can enter these via a menu choice, which in my opinion would be a vast improvement.  You are supposed to earn the right to 'enter the club room', then win the club championship to get to the tournament room, but no advanced bridge player is going to play a lot of very slow, undemanding bridge to work their way through to a  " higher level" when there's plenty on offer in other bridge programs from the start.  The other drawback is that unless your computer has a very high processing speed, this game will play far too slowly for really good players.

So where does the game fit in?

It really suits the improving, intermediate player who wants to get some game practice, and, as it is significantly cheaper than Jack, Bridge Baron etc, it should find a niche market.  The computer artificial intelligence doesn't measure up to the more powerful games, but you get what you pay for and at 9.99 it is an attractive buy.

I approached this game with anticipation, not having played the previous Omar Sharif games and being a keen fan of programs such as Jack, Acol Bidding, Bridge 2000, and Counting at Bridge which offer either very high standard bridge competitions or excellent teaching tutorials for beginners or both.  I was disappointed with the lack of speed and the limited AI.  (I really don't want to play with a partner who bids hearts and then leaves me in 3 clubs with only one club to his name, and 7 hearts to the AKQ.  At the bridge club, we probably wouldn't speak for a week.)  Poor menu layout and difficulty in differentiating between clubs and spades in the dummy hand are some additional minor gripes.  Having said all that, it did grow on me.  Perhaps it was winning the Club Championship in one match and admiring my trophy in the cabinet that did it.