A game tutorial can sound convincing while asking the reader to make an impossible move. The screenshot looks tidy, the steps are numbered, and the explanation uses familiar words. Then someone follows it and discovers that the card being described is still covered, or that the instructions belong to a different version of the game.
Start the check with a named reference rather than another rewritten guide. The classic card game on PlaySolitaire provides a working board alongside its own rules and controls. Use that reference consistently: choose the draw mode, identify the piles, and compare the tutorial’s example with the rules actually described there.
The aim is not to turn a short explanation into an exhaustive manual. It is to make sure a beginner can understand what the instruction means, recognise when it applies, and repeat the intended action.
Which game does the tutorial actually describe?
“Solitaire” is a family name as well as a common label for Klondike. A guide that begins with seven columns and a draw pile should not suddenly introduce the temporary holding cells used in FreeCell. Those are different arrangements with different rules.
Write down the exact version before reviewing the steps. For a Klondike Draw 1 explanation, check that the text describes turning over one stock card at a time. A Draw 3 explanation needs to account for cards appearing in groups and only the top waste card being available to play.
Keep the column rules separate from the foundations. In the referenced Klondike game, columns build downward in alternating colours, while each foundation begins with an Ace and continues upward in the same suit. A sentence that blends those two directions can sound reasonable until a reader tries to use it.
The controls also belong to the version being described. A tutorial should not treat a button name or keyboard shortcut from one website as a rule that every other game must follow.
Can the reader repeat the example?
Choose an example whose conditions are explicit. Saying that a seven of hearts can move onto an eight of clubs is useful only when the seven is available and the destination is legal. A card buried beneath another card is not available merely because its face can be seen.
Describe the starting condition before the action. Then explain what changes afterwards. Moving an exposed card might reveal another card beneath it; that newly exposed card is a consequence of the move, not something the reader could necessarily use beforehand.
Do not depend on every reader receiving the same random deal. If a precise arrangement is essential, provide enough information to recognise it or label it clearly as a hypothetical example. Otherwise, tell the reader which comparable conditions to look for on their own board.
When checking the sequence interactively, distinguish Undo from starting a new game. Returning one move is not the same as replacing the deal. Keep a note of what you actually tried, rather than reporting an entire tutorial as tested after checking only its opening move.
Are the instructions independent of the screenshot?
“Click the pile on the right” becomes less helpful when the board changes size or the image is cropped. Name the relevant pile as well as showing it. A short definition of stock, waste, column and foundation can prevent several paragraphs of confusion later.
This follows the broader principle in W3C’s guidance on sensory characteristics: instructions should not depend only on appearance or position. The point here is clearer writing, not a claim that a particular game or tutorial has passed an accessibility audit.
Name the cards where their identity matters. “Seven of hearts” is more precise than “the red one”, especially when several red cards are visible. Position and colour can still help the reader, but they should not carry the whole explanation.
Review the text without its image once. If the essential action disappears, add the missing words rather than relying on a larger arrow in the screenshot.
What has, and has not, been checked?
A legal move is not automatically the best move. A guide can explain how a card moves without proving that the choice will finish the deal. Keep rules, suggested strategy and promised outcomes separate.
Check confident words such as “always” and “every”. A successful example is not evidence that the same outcome follows from every arrangement. If the article offers an exercise rather than a verified walkthrough, say so plainly.
Finally, record the game address, selected settings and review date. A later change to the interface may require a small update even when the underlying card rules have not changed. The strongest tutorial is the one whose instructions can be checked again, not the one that merely sounds certain.
