Patent ID: 7670226

Claim:
A method for controlling a game with a communication line in a system wherein a card game is played with two or more playing cards at each of a plurality of game playing terminals, and a server is connected with the plurality of game playing terminals through said communication line, the method comprising: storing said card game in memory on each of said plurality of game playing terminals, dividing said game into a plurality of charged playing sections which a player can play by paying a point and setting said sections; storing data in said memory of each of said plurality of game playing terminals, said data including a first portion of data representing a first portion of a complete image of a present item; selecting said two or more playing cards to be used in said game from playing cards stored in said memory of said game playing terminal and setting said selected cards as a hand to be used for said game in a predetermined data area of said game playing terminal at a time when playing a predetermined game at said game playing terminals; storing a second portion of data in memory means of said server, said second portion of data representing a second portion of the complete image of said present item; distributing a plurality of game cards for said predetermined game, to which proper passwords are respectively assigned; transmitting said proper password of said distributed game card from a game playing terminal to said server through said communication line by inputting said password through an input portion of said game playing terminal; setting said point which shows game playable volume corresponding to said password on an account which is set in said memory means of said server, by said server; selecting said present item to be downloaded to said game playing terminal from a plurality of present items stored in said memory means of said server; downloading said second portion of data from said server into said game playing terminal through said communication line; reading said first portion of data from said memory means of said game playing terminal, producing said complete image of said present item from said first and second portions of data, and displaying said complete image of said present item on said display; wherein it is impossible to produce said complete image of said present item from only said first portion of data or said second portion of data; controlling said game playing terminal by said server so as to allow said player to play said charged playing section within bounds of said point which has been set on said account of said server.