Game guides and articles

Rules, tips and history for the HoyHop games, plus advice on playing with children, grandparents and friends far away.

Daily Word

Daily Word rules in detailHow the tiles are marked, what happens with double letters, which words are answers, American and British spelling, practice words and the streak.
Daily Word tips: first words and next guessesWhich word to try first for 5, 6 and 7 letters, why double letters matter, and how endings like -er help. Tips based on the game's own list of answers.
From Jotto to Wordle: a history of word guessingThe pencil game Bulls and Cows, Jotto from 1955, Mastermind, the TV show Lingo and Josh Wardle's Wordle. The games that Daily Word grew out of.

Klondike solitaire rules in detailThe deal, legal moves, empty columns, drawing one or three cards and common questions about Klondike solitaire as it is played on HoyHop.
Solitaire tips and strategyWhich cards to uncover first, when to empty a column, when to hold back from the foundations and how to play draw three. Tips for Klondike solitaire.
The history of solitaireFrom a German book of 1783 through Victorian handbooks and Las Vegas bets to Windows 3.0. How solitaire began and how Klondike came out on top.

Crazy Eights rules, the Central European wayThe 32 German-suited cards, the deal, sevens, aces and the Ober, stacking and house variants of Prší and Faraón as played in HoyHop's Crazy Eights.
Crazy Eights tips and strategyWhen to play the Ober, how to save sevens and aces, what an opponent's draw tells you and how to count cards in Crazy Eights with 32 German-suited cards.
The history of Crazy Eights, Prší and FaraónWhere the family of Mau-Mau, Crazy Eights and Prší came from, why Slovaks call it Faraón and what German-suited cards have to do with William Tell.

Block Fit rules and scoring in detailWhich shapes the game offers, when rows and columns clear, what several lines at once are worth, how the 30-shape daily challenge works and when a game ends.
Block Fit tips and strategyWhy to keep room for the 3 by 3 square, how to avoid single-cell holes, when to clear several lines at once and how to learn the daily challenge.

Ludo rules in detail, the Central European versionBringing pieces out on a six, clearing the start square, three tries, capturing, the exact roll into the home row and house rules for Ludo on HoyHop.
Ludo tips and strategyYour chance of rolling a six, when you are at risk of capture, where not to stand and whether to race one piece or several. Tips for Ludo on HoyHop.
The history of Ludo and Mensch ärgere Dich nichtFrom Indian pachisi through English Ludo to a Munich workshop and Josef Friedrich Schmidt. How the Central European Ludo reached every family table.

How to play Hide and SeekPicking an animal, a hundred levels in ten settings, moving and zooming, three hints per level and the daily challenge. A full guide to Hide and Seek on HoyHop.
Hide and Seek search tipsHow to scan a picture part by part, what to look for instead of a whole animal, when to use a hint and how to avoid wasted taps in the daily challenge.
A history of hidden picture puzzlesFrom Bruegel's Children's Games of 1560 through Ali Mitgutsch's books and Where's Wally? to computer games. Where pictures we search through come from.

Games for kids with nothing to installWhat parents should check before a child plays browser games, which HoyHop games suit which age, and how much screen time WHO advises for under-fives.
Browser games for older adultsWhich games older players already know, how to make text bigger, how to put the games on a phone's home screen and how to play with grandchildren far away.
Family party games on your phonesHow to run a Crazy Eights tournament, a Daily Word contest for the whole family and a Ludo final on everyone's phones. A party plan that works with children.
How to play online with friends using a room codeHow to open a room, send the code, link or QR code, what kids mode does, how quick messages work and what happens when someone loses their connection.