Victory Multimedia BB22-RB Bridge Baron 22

I am not sure why the previous two reviewers are having so much trouble with network play. My bridge partner and I just tried it and it works fine. I suspect some folks are trying to link different versions of Bridge Baron together, and that won't work--any computers engaging in network play have to be running Version 22.

Bridge Baron rewrote the online play engine for Version 22. They have apparently put up a server to provide a connection between computers, instead of the direct connection used by prior versions. Those versions can most charitably be described as very difficult to get working. The new version appears stable and free of major bugs. I did notice that the first time the program tries to connect to the online-play server, it always fails. However, a re-try always seems to succeed. That isn't a deal-breaker for me, but it is annoying.

The bridge-playing engine in Version 22 is pretty much the same as the engine in prior versions, and the user interface is still a bit clunky. The advertising for the new version trumpets an updated user interface, but the changes that I have seen are all pretty minor. So, the improved online play is really the only reason I can think of to upgrade from any version released in the last five years.

Documentation is still weak, and tech support needs improvement. Fairly detailed documentation can be purchased separately, an approach that will probably annoy some people. But I suspect that most people would never wade through the book, and I suppose that selling it separately does reduce the cost of the program somewhat. I would suggest that the complete documentation be made available in PDF format for free.

I really like the program's ability to configure both NS and EW convention cards to a fine degree. You can easily set the convention card to a standard, such as SAYC, with three levels of sophistication. Or, you can go through convention settings one-by-one and configure just about everything that appears on an ACBL convention card.

I am pretty impressed by the program's play at the lower levels. It isn't winning computer bridge tournaments these days, but it plays a pretty good bridge-club game even with its engine set for speed, rather than depth. Bridge masters may not be satisfied with its level of play unless the program is set to sacrifice speed for depth of analysis. And the program does get sluggish at its higher levels. But club-level players should find that it plays a pretty good game and is very responsive.

It is easy to set up bridge deals in the program, and to save them in library files for later reference. In addition, Bridge Baron imports bridge deals that are posted online in PBN (portable bridge notation) format, which is widely used in tournaments and is becoming more popular for club play. Bridge Baron contains a double-dummy analysis engine, so one can easily see the makeable bids and best play of any hand.

Despite the programs shortcomings, I give it 5 stars, because I believe it is much better than the negative reviews would indicate. It plays a good game, conventions are very configurable, and online play finally works. I am happy with my upgrade.

As a bridge player for the past 50 years, there were several choices of bridge games to purchase. Some of Bridge Baron's reviews were less than complimentary re: graphics, etc. when we saw a great price thru Amazon at half the price of its competitors, we purchased. Order was delivered promptly, installed easily in a Windows 7 environment and are totally happy with the product. The graphics, in our opinion, are totally adequate. We set up the game to follow our rather simple bidding norms and have been enjoying the product thoroughly. We are not doing any on-line playing, so that facet was not a factor. I would give the game a 10 for those of you that have 3 or four bidding convention you like to use, as Blackwood, five card majors, convenient minor openers and the like.
I like when "The Baron" tells me I played the hand "Very Well"

Let me tell you about Bridge Baron. I started with Bridge Baron 13 way back when, and have kept up to date with every new release since. The deals are touted as random. They are not random. There are statistically way too many hands with 4-0 and 5-0 trump breaks. There are way too many hands with multiple failing finesses. They will never tell you, but E/W can see all the hands when they are on defense. That is why W never makes a bad opening lead. I have caught W making absolutely terrible leads if he couldn't see his partner's hand, but it turns out to be the killing lead too often. They make a lot of fuss about all the conventions you can learn. What they don't point out is that with Bridge Baron the conventions can only be learned from one side of the table. If you think it is important to learn to recognize conventions when partner bids them and respond correctly you are out of luck with Bridge Baron. You will encounter long stretches of hands where with reasonable and even conservative bidding every hand will go down. The problem with this is that Bridge Baron encourages you to be a timid bidder, and as any good bridge player will tell you the aggressive bidders are the ones who carry home the master points.