A wild eights card game against the computer

Match the suit or the number, play an eight to call a new suit, and be first to empty your hand. That's Wild Eights, a free card game in Games by Zaweba where you play against three computer players. It runs offline with no adverts and no account.

Shedding games like this are among the first card games many people learn, and they stay fun because every turn is quick and there's always a little choice to make about what to hold back.

How Wild Eights is played

Play a card that matches the top of the pile, either by suit or by rank. Eights are wild: you can play one at any time and call whichever suit you like. If you can't go, draw a card from the deck.

When a player empties their hand, they score the cards left in everyone else's hands. Eights are worth 50, picture cards 10 and aces 1. The first player to reach 100 points wins.

The controls are as simple as the rules. Click a card to play it, and click the deck to draw. You'll find Wild Eights on the Cards shelf of Games by Zaweba.

Ways to win more rounds

Hold on to your eights. An eight can be played at any time, so it's your escape from a hand with nothing that matches. Using one early just because you can often leaves you stuck later.

Then again, don't get caught with them. An eight left in your hand when someone else goes out is worth 50 to them. As the other players run low on cards, think about getting rid of your eights before it's too late.

Call the suit you hold most of. When you play an eight, name the suit you have the most cards in. That gives you the best chance of playing again on your next turn.

Change suit by rank. If you have the same number in another suit, playing it switches the suit without spending an eight. That's a cheap way to move the game towards your strongest suit.

Watch the other hands. When a computer player is down to one or two cards, think about which suits it seems to lack, and play to keep it out of those.

Shed high cards when you can. Picture cards cost 10 points if you're caught with them, so they're worth getting rid of when there's a choice.

A good game for all ages

Wild Eights is easy enough for a child to pick up from the title card, which explains the rules and controls, and quick enough for an adult to enjoy a few rounds over a cup of tea. On a family PC it sits happily alongside Pairs, the memory game, and the board games shelf.

Esc pauses the game and F1 explains the rules again. Games by Zaweba keeps your plays, wins and best score on the game's tile, and those records are stored on your own PC.

Other card games to try

Broken Hearts also puts you against three computer players, in a trick-taking game where you dodge hearts and the queen of spades. Knock Rummy is a two-player game of sets and runs. If you want a quiet game on your own, the patience games on the Cards shelf range from the familiar Classic Patience to the two-pack Spinner Patience.