Hardwood Backgammon

The graphics are nicely done and the interface is easy to deal with, BUT this is a typical single-player game that controls the outcome of the dice, similar to Hoyle games. These designers haven't yet caught on to the very simple fact that all we want is a game that doesn't cheat. If the dice or cards or whatever aren't random, then the game is a cheat. In this case the AI is dumb as a stump as well, making for a very dissatisfying experience. The computer player leaves pieces open all over the board, even when they get a strategic combination roll that would very easily put 2 pieces on one spot. In the endgame I've watched the computer choose to move pieces already in the home location, rather than get outside pieces into it. This results in gammon or even backgammon wins that could easily have been avoided by the AI. To be fair, the online game seems to be very well done with groups of players always ready to play. My preference leans heavily towards single-play which is why I've given this low marks. If I was primarily into online play I would like this game much better. I don't know why it's apparently impossible to do both well.