Is one the loneliest number? Not when you are armed with the best one-player games. Whether you live on your own, or have a house full of family - everyone needs and deserves some time on their own to reflect, relax and recharge. There is no better way to unwind than to sit down with a puzzle, newspaper or deck of cards - and maybe a nice glass of wine.

The jigsaw puzzle was invented in the late 1700s by John Spilsbury in London. Spilsbury, a mapmaker, mounted a map on wood and cut it into different-shaped pieces using a jigsaw, hence the name. The map was then put back together and used as an educational tool for children learning geography.

Today, jigsaw puzzles are widely popular, in part due to their extreme versatility. You can find puzzles of varying difficulties - from as few as 3 pieces to as many as 24,000 (see link for info on world's largest jigsaw puzzle). It's really easy to find the perfect puzzle for you or for any member of your family - even younger kids who aren't walking or talking yet can benefit and learn from grasping large textured puzzle pieces and trying to make them fit in the board.

To enjoy working on a jigsaw puzzle, you will need a comfortable chair and a table large enough to hold the completed puzzle. If you plan to work on the puzzle for several days and need access to the space for other things - like eating or working - consider using a large board that you can pick up and move about without compromising your work-in-progress.

The pictures most commonly used for jigsaw puzzles are landscapes, maps, animals and abstract art. Using a picture or photograph of your own, you can make your own jigsaw puzzle or have a professional do it for you. A puzzle using a personal photo is a great and original gift idea for the puzzle-lover in your family.

What do you do now that you've finished that 1000 piece puzzle? If you don't have the heart to take it apart, your favorite jigsaw puzzles can be mounted and preserved so that you can enjoy this unique artwork for years to come. Or you can be like the thousands of puzzle lovers who, once completing an especially difficult puzzle, can't wait to take it apart and try it again and again.

The online jigsaw puzzle is gaining in popularity. Many sites like www.jigzone.com andwww.puzzlehouse.com offer huge assortments of puzzles varying by difficulty and theme. You can compete against other online players for the fastest assembly time.

It's speculated that crossword puzzles evolved from the ancient Roman word blocks - rows and columns of equal length each spelling a word. The first crossword puzzle, as we would recognize today, was published in the World newspaper in the early 1900s. Today, you would be hard pressed to find a newspaper that did not publish at least a weekly crossword puzzle. There are thousands of crossword puzzle books available for purchase, all in varying degrees of difficulty. Crossword puzzles can also be found online - and while some charge a subscriber fee you can find many for free.

There are a few different types of crossword puzzles. They can vary by the type of grid (or can even be grid-less) and the type of clues. A straight crossword contains clues with answers that are straightforward - usually the definition of the word itself - and are enjoyed by those with a love of words and vocabulary. A cryptic crossword is more like a puzzle than a test of word knowledge. The answers are not always so straightforward and can be interpreted a few different ways. The most commonly published crosswords are a combination of straight and cryptic.

Assistance for crossword puzzle clues can be found in print or online. There are many free websites that allow you to enter the clue, the number of letters in the answer as well as any letters you've already figured out. It will return to you a list of possible solutions. Beginner crossword players can improve their gaming skills using these sites to gain familiarity with how crossword puzzle clues and answers are derived.

These types of word puzzles are great memory enhancers and can even help prevent possible future memory problems. They are also a great educational tool for younger children, as a different and fun way to learn vocabulary.

Most one-player card games are known as "solitaire" and there are several hundred versions of the game. Most of them involve creating piles of cards with the ultimate goal of ending up with four piles by suit. Here is a list of the most popular solitaire games - all you need is a standard 52-card deck or Internet access to enjoy this game for one.

• Klondike - This is by far the most common solitaire game. It involves setting up the board with 7 piles of cards, each pile with one more card than the previous pile. The top card in each pile is face up, the others are face down. The remaining 24 cards are used in the stock pile. The object of the game is to retire all 52 cards to four piles from Ace (low) to King (high). A detailed explanation of the game can be found here.
• Pyramid - This is an equally common version of solitaire in which the board is set up with a pyramid of cards, face up (see photo to right). Cards are removed from the board by one or two cards totalling 13. The card values are King 13 down to Ace 1. The only cards that can be removed are ones that are not covered by other cards. The object is to move all the cards from the pyramid. A detailed explanation of the game can be found here.