in 25+ years of retro gaming and sierra, i've never once seen someone mention Hoyle's Book of Games
despite its small stature, it was one of the most financially lucrative sierra titles, and spawned an entire series of games.
what makes it special is that opponents are (for the most part) characters from sierra titles, each playing in a style expressive of the character's personality. graham and rosella are friendly and not overly competitive, larry is silly and aggressive with his cards.
the dog? the dog is a real shithead.
@vga256 getting to play Old Maid with Leisure Suit Larry, Roger Wilco, and one of the "dogs playing poker" dogs* is an unforgettable experience in card gaming.
* like, officially, even! the "dogs playing poker" paintings were commissioned in the early 1900s by Brown & Bigelow, who - by the late 80s - owned all the Hoyle trademarks.
I forgot about that until you mentioned it. I was a little kid, so cribbage was a little beyond me, but old maid was great! I didn’t play the games that the other players were characters from, so I had no idea they existed in other worlds, but I made up backstories for all of them.