The Microsoft Solitaire, a Windows PC appendage, has been around for 30 years. It may not always be there, or you may not always remember why it is there, but you always carry it with you because you may need it on the rare occasion. Because today there are 35 million players playing every month.

The ubiquity of the game, spreading from PCs to smartphones and tablets, no doubt keeps this number high, but it has a deeper appeal. It's so familiar that it's instinctive. Better to do it in a Wilmot warehouse, though.

Solitaire has its day, and it just so happens to be today. I must confess that we don't usually observe this special day in our house, but there's always a chance to start a new tradition.

In honor of the 30th anniversary and National Solitaire Day, Microsoft is attempting to set a new record for the number of Microsoft Solitaire games played in a 24-hour period. At least, if you can stomach the transformation into a free-to-play mobile game.

Yes, apparently Solitaire is a nightmare of intertwined coins, XP, and daily challenges. There is also a subscription option. I got tired just looking at the main menu. Some of these appeared years ago, but it's been a while since I dusted off the game. Fortunately, once you get past all that crap, you can play a regular solitaire game.

I gave it a shot, but then remembered that solitaire is actually kind of boring, so I went straight back to work.