Build 5219 also includes a peek at some of the new premium games that Microsoft will include in the Home Premium, Ultimate, and all business editions of Windows Vista. These games include new versions of a number of old favorites, but also new games such as Chess, Purple Place, and Shanghai. The icons for each title are all new (
Figure) as well.
The new Chess game (or Chess Titans as its sometimes called) it actually a 3D chess version (
Figure) that can be played at various skill levels, using different board and piece designs, and against a computer or human opponent.
Purble Place meanwhile, is aimed specifically at young children and features bright, large graphics (
Figure). It's designed to help children recognize colors, shapes, math, and patterns. There are actually two mini-games within this title, Build-A-Purble (
Figure) and Comfy Cakes (
Figure).
Shanghai (
Figure) is one of my all-time favorite games, and I've actually purchased various versions of this title for different computing systems over the years. (It's sometimes called Shanghai Solitaire.) You can choose from different board designs (
Figure) and various tile sets and backgrounds. Successful tile removals are celebrated with a little poof animation. It's quite nice.
As for the classic Windows titles, they've all gotten a nice makeover. FreeCell (
Figure), Hearts (
Figure), Solitaire (
Figure) and Spider Solitaire (
Figure) now sport the same gorgeous backgrounds and card styles. Even Minesweeper looks sweet (
Figure).