Mahjong Dragon
by Clickgamer,
Price: $9.95
Reviewed October 2003 by Howard Paw
Who can ever explain the gaming phenomenon
that is Solitaire? Everyone that I have met knows and enjoys
playing this card game. So it’s no surprise that there
are lots of variations and computer/PDA version of the game
we all love. Mahjong game is another one that has the same
spirit and feel of the Solitaire game and Clickgamer has
offered us a PDA version: Mahjong Dragon.
Mahjong Dragon is a tile matching game
that uses the standard Chinese Mahjong Tile Set. Rules are
quite simple; you may remove any 2 matching tiles of the
same level from the board as long as any one of the four
sides of the tiles in question doesn’t have any other
tile next to it; game is finished once you have removed all
of the tiles from the board. Mahjong Dragon features a lot
of different kinds of board formations; some formations are
harder than others thus giving the players various degrees
of difficulty. There are basically 2 modes of play, a timed
game and a no time limit game. The no time limit game simply
serves as a practice mode for the player to hone their skills
to beat the timed game. The time limit with which to beat
a particular board is dependent upon the difficulty level
of said board, the easier the board the shorter the time.
Graphics are of standard fare, I was glad
to see that even though the tile graphics itself are small,
the characters on the tiles can be easily distinguished from
each other. The only gripe I have about the graphics is that
it is a little hard to tell if a tile is on the same level
as another one. A better use of shadows and a little more
3D graphics wouldn’t hurt. The game is too much 2D
for my taste. Every new game generates a random picture that
will serve as the background of the Mahjong board; most of
the pictures are scenic spots from Asia (mostly Japanese),
giving the game an oriental motif, although I’ve really
never noticed the background once I start playing. I especially
love the ambient music that is playing in the background
in Mahjong Dragon, very relaxing and not at all distracting.
The sound effects are quite minimal and well done. As with
the music, the sound FX compliment the game very well.
Aside from the fact that the game takes
a long time to load on my machine (an iPAQ 5450) I thoroughly
enjoyed playing it, the graphics may have a few rough edges
here and there, but the game is good enough to pull you in
and let you forget those few minor glitches. If you are looking
for a simple puzzle game to tide you through those boring
meetings, check out Mahjong Dragon. It’s fun, simple
and isn’t too hard on your wallet. |
