The main competitive challenge of Minesweeper is clearing a difficult minefield in as little time as possible. That’s because, despite its simple appearance, it’s a very deep strategy game-so much so that people play it competitively in tournaments all over the world.Īlmost anyone with a basic grasp of Minesweeper strategy can clear a difficult field, given enough time (and a little bit of luck). It’s Deeper Than It LooksĪnyone who’s even casually fiddled with Minesweeper knows it’s not as easy to get into as Solitaire. So, it’s possible that hundreds of millions of people have played Minesweeper over the last three decades.
Minesweeper game pack windows#
And it got even bigger than that! Microsoft included Minesweeper with every version of Windows from 1992-2009 (Windows 3.1 through Windows 7). Once Minesweeper became a pack-in game for Windows, millions of people worldwide played it, and it became a household name. That popularity might be why Microsoft decided to include Minesweeper with Windows 3.1 when it shipped in 1992 (kicking out the brutally difficult Reversi, in the process). In 1994, The Washington Post reported that Bill Gates was once so addicted to Minesweeper, he removed it from his computer, but then snuck into a colleague’s office to play it. Minesweeper became the most popular in Microsoft’s offices (and in a collection that included Tetris, that’s quite an achievement). The pack included six games ( Cruel, Golf, Minesweeper, Pegged, Taipei, Tetris, TicTactics) and the screensaver IdleWild. At the time, Windows 3.0 was not quite 5 months old. RELATED: Windows 3.0 Is 30 Years Old: Here's What Made It SpecialĪs we mentioned above, Minesweeper debuted commercially in 1990 as part of the Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows. After some minor changes to the graphics, the renamed Minesweeper was born. Ryan put out a call among Microsoft employees, and Robert Donner submitted Mine. Shortly after the development of Windows 3.0, Microsoft product manager, Bruce Ryan, decided to put together a package of games that would encourage people with home PCs to purchase Windows. Donner based his game on Johnson’s earlier OS/2 game, and both were originally only distributed among friends. Microsoft’s Minesweeper was originally called Mine, and was created by Microsoft employees, Robert Donner and Curt Johnson. You’re now in Minesweeper’s addictive grasp. So, you try again and, if you succeed, you might want to shave some seconds off your score. Minesweeper makes you feel smart, but the thrill of danger is palpable. Be careful, though! If you click even a single mine by accident, the game is over.Įven if you hit a mine, it’s hard to give up once you grasp the basic numerical strategy of the game. As you reveal squares, clues appear in the form of numbers that represent the number of mines located in the eight adjacent squares around them.Īlong the way, you can mark where you think mines are located with a flag with just a right-click of your mouse. The goal is to clear (reveal) every square in the grid without accidentally clicking a mine-and to do so as quickly as possible. Minesweeper is a logic puzzle game set in a grid-based minefield. The Secret? Strategic, Addictive Gameplay
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