Playing Solitaire often takes me back to a time of my youth. I could not help being nostalgic because the person who introduced me to the actual card game when I was little is no longer around.

Long before the digital version of Solitaire was released, my Uncle taught me to play the card game. The elders played Solitaire to pass the time. We don’t have the luxury of the Internet like what we have now. The only entertainment we had then was outdoor games or watching television from our neighbor’s house.

My grandmother, at first, would not allow me to play Solitaire since she thought it was age-inappropriate. She would hide the cards so I would not be able to play them. When I was in college, a computer-related subject acquainted me again with Solitaire. Playing the game is convenient because I no longer need to shuffle and deal with cards.

Never Gets Old

Fast forward to the present, the adult person in me still plays online games. It entertains and relaxes me from the daily stresses at home. I consider it a mental exercise amid the pandemic.

Despite the existence of numerous online games now, I still prefer the less complicated ones. I play Solitaire from my mobile phone or laptop from solitaire.org. Dozens of free solitaire games are on the homepage. I play two variations, which are the easiest ones, the Classic Solitaire and Klondike. 

Anyone can play this old-school, challenging game of concentration and skill using a standard 52 deck of playing cards. The goal is to move a shuffled deck of cards into four Foundation stacks from Ace to King. The Ace is low in Classic Solitaire. The King is high. 

Mind Games

Besides Solitaire, you can find other fun online games like Pacman-inspired Cookie Monster and the Daily Word Search Game. The original Pacman maze action game was one of my favorites since 1985.

The classic arcade PacMan-inspired game let Cookie Monster eat pellets. The power pellet turns the ghosts into cookies. The arrow keys on your keyboard help you direct Cookie Monster.

I enjoyed the Daily Word Search because it exercises my brain as I look for the words. It improves my vocabulary as well. The number of words to search depends on the grid size. You can play one puzzle a day or go on as many as you can complete. 

The games are addicting because I can see my improvement over time makes me want to beat my old score.  

Brain Exercise

I’m only in my early 50s, but I’m already starting to be forgetful. By playing the word search puzzle online, I hope to improve my memory and concentration. Also, playing online games keeps me away from the digital drama on social media. 

Online games and other activities that exercise your brain helps you take care of your mental health. With what is going on around us, having something to get busy with helps us fight isolation.