Solitaire, Scrabble among classic casual games rebooted for on-the-go playing

Most of today's blockbuster video games boast photorealistic graphics and surround sound, but many recall days when games were, well, simpler.

You know, a family sitting around board games like Scrabble or Monopoly. Maybe you’ve got fond memories of playing cards with friends, or even by yourself in a game of Klondike solitaire. Or perhaps you have a sentimental leaning toward pinball games controlled with two flippers.

Well, here’s the good news: Classics such as these are not only available today but also are playable on the one device you always have with you: your smartphone or tablet. And many are free.

Expanded availability of casual games makes good business sense as 65% of U.S. adults, or more than 164 million, play video games, according to the Entertainment Software Association. Smartphone gaming continues to grow and is the most common device played by 60% of players – and casual games is the most popular genre, played by 71% of adult gamers.

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There’s no shortage of reimagined games from yesteryear, now for your smartphone and tablet, which you can download from the App Store (for iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (for Android devices).

Here are four casual classics that won’t disappoint.

Scrabble Go

When unemployed architect Alfred Mosher Butts invented Scrabble in 1938, he probably couldn’t imagine we’d still be playing the iconic board game 82 years later. And on a touchscreen device that wirelessly connects competitors across the world, no less.

Scopely has just launched Scrabble Go, in partnership with Hasbro (in North America) and Mattel (internationally), and it features a faithful reproduction of the word game you know and love – including the official game board, rules and dictionaries – along with additional modes, helpful boosts and tournament-style matches against others.

There’s a strong focus on head-to-head play, where you can easily invite people from Facebook or WhatsApp (or your Contacts) or randomly find others to challenge (you can get to your turn when it’s convenient).

The game has customizable 3-D tiles, a practice mode, sleek animation and sound effects and tracks plenty of player stats.

There are optional in-game purchases, too, such as gems to redeem for content, as well as a Scrabble Club subscription ($4.99/month), which offers several benefits including no advertisements, access to exclusive items and rewards, unlimited use of the new Scrabble Scholar boost and more.

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Puzzle Page

Fan of Sudoku? Crossword puzzles? Word searches? You can have it all inside of this one free app, Puzzle Page. Puzzle Page is a must-have for those who enjoy classic word and numbers games found in daily newspapers.

Puzzle Page has a simple interface for tapping and typing your way through its collection of fun and challenging word, logic, number and picture puzzles. Its fast load times keep the game flowing.

Brand new puzzles are dished up daily, but should you complete them all you can use the Calendar view to quickly browse through pages from previous days. To keep things fresh, this game also offers special daily challenges, bonus games, unlockable trophies and other rewards.

A new game recently added, Charge Up, is a logic puzzle that challenges you to arrange electric cars so that every charging point is in use, but no cars can touch. The puzzle is complete when every charger is connected to a car, and all the remaining spaces are marked as blank.

The app is free to play, but optional in-app purchases (including a $5.99/month or $35.99/year subscription) unlock a lot of additional content, special games and other benefits.

PinOut!

Easy to pick up but difficult to put down, PinOut! turns pinball games on its ear.

The game's basics will be familiar to you: Tap the right side of the screen to activate the right flipper and the left side for the left flipper as you try to keep a ball from falling.

But PinOut! adds a twist with a playing area that keeps expanding forward if you can bump the ball along, adding new ramps, bumpers and obstacles.

PinOut! is free to play and has no ads, but it does have an edgy look with its '80s-influenced neon lights, flashy colors and a toe-tapping soundtrack, all of which combine to deliver an engaging and fresh arcade pinball game experience.

Timing is everything, of course, in pinball. But an optional premium upgrade for $3.99 is available through a one-time in-app purchase that lets you continue to play from checkpoints (instead of starting from the beginning).

Microsoft Solitaire Collection

The most popular digital version of Solitaire – played by tens of millions of Windows users – is also a top pick on iOS and Android.

A free download for phones and tablets, Microsoft Solitaire Collection collects the most popular solo games: Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, TriPeaks and Pyramid. Most of these games have rules you can tweak, plus you can partake in events with other players, finish daily challenges, earn experience points (XP) and collect virtual bracelets as prizes.

Visually, this game includes many themes and card backs to choose from, plus you can create custom card backs from your own photos. And yes, those cute end-game animations – such as the cards bouncing around the screen – have been carried over from the PC version.

While free to play, upgrading to Premium ($1.99/month or $9.99/year) removes ads and gives you more coins (for completing daily challenges) and boosts (for TriPeaks and Pyramid).

Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. Email him or subscribe to his Tech It Out podcast at www.marcsaltzman.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Free Solitaire, Scrabble video games play out on smartphones, tablets