Mahjong Solitaire
Mahjong Solitaire, often simply referred to as “Mahjong” in computer game contexts (though this can be a misnomer, as traditional Mahjong is a distinct four-player game), is a single-player matching game that uses tiles from the Chinese game Mahjong.
Here’s a basic rundown of Mahjong Solitaire:
Objective: The goal of the game is to match and remove all tiles from the board.
Setup:
- The game is played with a set of 144 tiles, based on Chinese characters and symbols.
- These tiles are arranged in a specific layout, often resembling a pyramid, but there are many different layouts available, ranging from simple to complex.
Gameplay:
- A player can only remove tiles that are free and uncovered. A tile is considered free if it can be moved either to the left or right without disturbing other tiles.
- Players must match two identical tiles to remove them. There are exceptions with the season and flower tiles, which can be matched even if they aren’t identical, as long as they belong to the same category.
- The game continues until all tiles are removed or no more valid matches can be made. If no moves are possible, the game is lost.
Strategies:
- It’s important to plan ahead. Just because a match is available doesn’t mean it’s the best move. Sometimes, it’s better to wait and see if another, more strategic match becomes available.
- Focus on tiles that will free up the most other tiles.
- Pay attention to tiles that appear often, as they may block other important tiles.
Popularity: Mahjong Solitaire gained widespread popularity in the 1980s when it was released as “Shanghai” by the company Activision for various computer platforms. It has since become a staple game on many operating systems, websites, and apps, with countless variations and themes.
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