Two topics worth reading to get started: "Game Play Overview" and "Getting Around - Moving and Viewing Cards."~Click on the User's Manual button to read up on the basics.
If the cards animate too slowly or quickly when you double-click on a card, adjust the Card Animation Speed from the Options Menu, Speed.
Double-click on a card to play it to one of the Center piles or use the mouse to drag the card to its destination.~If you want to use a WILD card (13/King), drag it to the Center pile you want to play it to and its value will be noted in a small box above the Center pile you placed it on.
Viewing HOLD pile cards: If you only want to see the first hidden card under the top card of any of your Hold piles, simply drag the top card out of the way so the card below it can be seen.~Right click on any Hold pile to see all the cards that are hidden in it.
You can move the Hold card window to any position on your screen by dragging it.~Click the check mark in the upper right hand corner to save the window's position.~[Right click on a Hold pile to display the Hold card window]
Picture cards are just a pretty distraction since suits are unimportant in this game. SpiteNET's Tile and Steel cards are easier on the eyes and easier to keep track off.~[Options Menu, Preferences]
SpiteNET has 2 themes (or skins): wood and steel. Change to steel and the sound effects for the cards will change. Then use the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard to select a matching background.~[Options Menu, Preferences, Pick-a-card tab]
If you are new to playing Spite & Malice, stay with the Average level.~If you start winning too many games and need a greater challenge, you can change Spite's playing ability level from the Options Menu, Spite Level setting.
Winning strategy: try to keep your HOLD piles organized. It's helpful to keep like cards together (9 on 9) or to build them downward (7 on an 8).~Right clicking on a HOLD pile displays the cards you've forgotten about.
Cheating 101: Use the Peek option from the Help menu to have Spite reveal his hand cards. Watching how he plays might help you to improve your strategy.
Dropped the wrong card on one of your Hold piles when you ended your turn?~You can back up to your previous turn by going to the Game menu and clicking on the Previous Turn option.~Pressing F4 is a short cut to going back to your previous turn.
Oops! Another wrong move?~You can restart your current turn by pressing the Backspace key.~ To take back just one move, click the Undo arrow button on the Status bar. Each time you click the Undo arrow, it will undo another move until you reach the beginning of that turn.
Although some people consider it cheating, you can find out how many cards are left in the Side piles by right clicking on them.~After the game is over, right clicking will display the cards that are left in that pile.
Double click on the Stock pile to find out how many cards are left in the stock.~Right clicking will tell you how many cards are in the Used card pile (not shown). The Used cards are not added to the stock until the stock has been depleted.
Need a little motivation to win?~Be sure the have the Avatar visible while playing. An Avatar is a picture of your opponent. The default picture is of Spite (possibly) but you can display an Avatar of anyone you would like.~[Game Menu, Opponents Setup]
You're going to be playing Spite & Malice for a long time, so you might as well set it up the way you like it! Your preferences, number of opponents, sound level, speed, and rules are all saved with your player name.~You can create several player names for yourself and have different preferences saved with each name so that you easily change between them.
You can change from the default standard picture playing cards to SpiteNET Tile or Steel cards   or one of the five number-only style cards.~[Options Menu, Preferences, "Pick-a-card"]
You can sort the cards in your hand by dragging a card to the left or right of another hand card.~Sorting your hand cards in some order (that is logical to you) might help you from missing a playable card.
Need a card counter? The card counter displays cards that are in play (top Side cards, your hand cards) and those that have been already played (Hold piles, Center piles, used cards).~[Help Menu, Card Counter]
The Avatar is useful for venting your frustrations! Click on it a few times when you need relief.
In the mood for a quick game? Select "Rules" from the Game Menu to change from 20 cards in the Side piles to 10.~For a longer game, use 26 cards in the Side piles. With 26 cards, it's probably a good idea to have the decks shuffled separately for the initial deal. Then there'll be less chance of a stalemate.
Keep an eye on your SIDE card!~It's easy to become distracted if you're big on blocking and forget to play your own card when the opportunity arises.
Split personality: The default personality is Spite which is defined by the sounds he uses, his avatar, the comments he makes during game play, and his behavior after winning a game.~Registered users can download add-on personalities when you need a change from Spite. 
There are many different game backgrounds for you to choose from. You can use the up/down arrow keys to display the next/previous background.~A solid color background mat can be used instead of a picture or texture background. It is green by default but you can change the mat color to any color you like.~[Options Menu, Preferences, "Deck Styles"]
You can download more backgrounds (called Backpacks) from Spite's Site to find the ones that fit your game playing mood -- or use your own!~To add you own background pictures see "Add Background" in the User's Manual, Options Menu topic.
When you change backgrounds, you may also want to change the font color being used. Go to the Options Menu, Preferences, Font Properties tab.~You can also increase the font size for easier reading.
If you have sound files (.wav format) that you would like to use in the game, you can substitute your wav files for some of the sounds that Spite is currently using.~[Game Menu, Opponents Setup]
Sound Advice 1:  If you play SpiteNET online, you can send sounds to your opponent through the SPITEful Thoughts Message Chat window. Just click the Speaker button, then click on the sound name from the drop down list.~Both you and your opponent need to have the same wav files in their Sounds folder for the sounds to be heard.~[User's Manual, SpiteNET Internet Games]
Sound Advice 2:  Exchange .wav files with your online opponents so that you can send them during Internet games. As long as you both have the same .wav files, you'll be able to play them during the heat of the game!
Sound Advice 3:  If you've added a lot of your own wav sounds, create a Custom Comment file with calls to your favorite .wav files. Then when you play online, you can just click the Chat message buttons instead of using the Speaker Sound list.~Use the format: wav [sound name] in your wav comment file. Example: wav lose1~[User's Manual, SpiteNET Internet Games]
Sizing up the Side piles: Right click on a Side pile to see a count of how many cards remain. (This is considered cheating by many players.)~Right click on a Side pile after the game is over and you will see the cards that were left in the loser's stack.
Need to express yourself more during an Internet game? It's asking for trouble, but you can slap your opponent's Avatar by typing:~  <SMACK>~in the chat window. Just move your mouse over the Avatar to remove the slap.
The background pictures that you add to the game are stretched to fit. Sometimes this looks good... sometimes not. Rectangular pictures work best.~You can have the picture tiled across the game background by renaming the background file to begin with the word "tile". So tileMypic.jpg will repeat the picture across the background.
If you want to have your own Avatar pictures displayed while playing a Multiplayer game, select one from the Opponents Setup window, Player button. Creating your own Avatar picture: a square shaped picture looks best. If you have photo editing software, it's easy to select a square shape around the head and crop the picture.~If you play online, send your personal Avatar picture to your opponent so that they can look at you while playing.
Getting tired of Spite's same old comments during the game? Fine, then write your own! Choose "Customize Comments" from the Game Menu and start composing your own.~[User's Manual, Topic: Custom Comments]
If you have several comment files that you've created and want to use them while playing online, you can quickly switch the comments available in the Chat window from the Internet Menu, Internet Players Setup option.~[User's Manual, SpiteNET Internet Games]
Restart Current Game: maybe if you had done things differently...~You can get a fresh start by selecting this option from the Game menu.~Remember however, that the game changes after the stock has been depleted and the Used cards are reshuffled to replenish the stock.
Interruptions are inevitable in life! You can save the game you are playing and finish it up later. Choose Save Game from the Game Menu.~Click on a save slot and type in a descriptive name for the game you are saving. Then click the Save button.
To restore a saved game, go to the Restore Game option from the Game Menu. Click on the slot with the name of the game you want to continue and then press Restore.
Restore Game window from the Game Menu: the check box next to the AutoSave slot enables the Undo move feature and the AutoSave feature, which permits you to back up to your previous turn.~[User's Manual, Cheats]
If you need more room on your screen while playing, you can make the game window smaller from the Options Menu, Display Size.
If you play online and need a little more room for the chat window, you can move the cards up, make the display smaller or make the Chat window smaller.~[Options Menu, Display Size]
Game Sounds, from the Options Menu, has 3 settings: Full, Some, No Sound. "Full" is the default. "Some" only uses the sounds for the card movements.~Hitting the DELETE key is a shortcut to "No Sound" in case you have to quickly stop all the sounds.
Multiplayer Games: each opponent you play can be set to a different ability level.
Add-on Personalities: The default opponents are Spite, Malice and Sven.~Other available personalities include Virgil the Southerner, Tony the mobster, Bruce the sarcastic guy, Rip the mad scientist, Warren the computer geek and Sport the sportscaster.
Express yourself: Need to release a little tension towards Spite?~Pressing a letter key on the keyboard will display a Picon (emoticon) in the game.~Pressing a number key on the keyboard will play personality sounds.