This program is a two-person turn-based card game. The players can play against each other across the Internet from separate Java-enabled computers or plain old browsers.

If you have a capable version of Java on your computer (you can get it free from here), click the button below to start the program:

Microsoft’s version of Java cannot run the program because it is pretty out of date. Install the version linked to above or use one of the other methods list below.

If you don’t have Java anywhere, you can still run the game by pointing your browser to this page. This HTML version isn’t as full-featured as the Java versions, but it is still functional and seems to work with every browser, including small devices that have limited screen space.

If you have a MIDP enabled phone, you can click on the cities.wml file or download the cities.jad and cities.jar files. See the owner’s manual for your phone on how to install them.If you have a very small screen, it may not work.

If you have an Internet-connected Palm OS device, you can download the cities.prc to install on your PDA. It is same as the phone version and also requires MIDP (downloadable free from here). The game will not work if your Palm device cannot reach the Internet.

Fair warning, the mobile version is not actively being maintained. You might want to try the other versions instead.

If you unfamiliar how to play, you may want to read the rules to the game first. "Investment" cards referred to in the rules appear as "*" on your screen.

When you start the program, you will need to login into the game server. The program will ask for a user name and password.

The first time you play, select the "Register new user" check box to create an account. An account is required to play the game. Account is free and no personal information is requested. The account allows you to stop and resume games at any time. It is password protected to prevent others from playing as you or loading your games to look at your cards.

From there you can open an existing game or create a new game.

You can only view games you are participating in. You can open multiple games at the same time. Each appears on its own tab.

The top of the window displays your opponent’s tableau. The middle of the window displays the shared discard piles and the stock. At the bottom of the window is your tableau and your hand beneath that. Your opponent cannot see your hand unless they log in as you or look over your shoulder as you play.

You and your opponent take turns placing cards from your hand to either your own tableau or the shared discard pile. Cards are placed on the pile of the matching suit. You can only play a card onto your suit’s tableau if it is empty or if the value of the card from your hand is greater than the top card already on the tableau. Investment (*) cards can only be played before the cards with numeric values. See the order in which the cards were played in the scoring section below.

A card can be placed on its suit’s discard pile at any time, empty or not. After you have placed a card from your hand, draw a card from the top of the stock or the top card of any of the discard piles (except, if you just discarded, you cannot pick up that one) so that you have 8 cards again. It is then your opponents turn.

The program can be exited and resumed at any time during a game because its state is always stored at the server. You can switch between multiple games without losing your place. While you have a game open, it will periodically check the server to see if your opponent has taken his turn.

The game is over when the stock is empty. The number appearing on the stock shows the number of cards left in the stock to help you gauge.

Each suit started in your tableau is totaled for points. Twenty is subtracted from each suit’s total. So you should not start a pile if you don’t think you’ll have cards that will add up to at least twenty. The difference is multiplied by 2, 3 or 4 if there are 1, 2 or 3 Investment (*) cards played. A bonus of twenty is added to your final score for any pile that has 8 or more cards in it. Empty tableau piles don’t count for or against you.