Pros: lots of layout and tileset choices, create your own layouts and tilesets, good game variations
Cons: some of the tilesets are difficult to read and cause eye fatigue
The Bottom Line: If you enjoy mahjongg solitaire, this CD combo offers a lot of game choices with customizable options. However, there are a few drawbacks.
dlstewart's Full Review: Mahjongg Master 5: Deluxe Suite for Windows
Perhaps you remember the solitaire game “Taipei” that is played with mahjongg tiles. I fell in love with that game. So when I saw the Mahjongg Master Deluxe software by eGames, I knew I had to buy it.
Object of the Game
The mahjongg included in this software package is a form of solitaire. The player is presented with a stack of tiles that are usually arranged in a shape (ex: dog) or an abstract design. The tiles are paired, and the object is to click on the paired tiles to remove them from the board. Win the game by matching all the tiles.
These games are timed so that you can challenge yourself. They also show how many tiles are in the layout and how many free pairs tiles are available during game play. A pause button stops the game until you hit the button again to resume.
Description
There are two CDs in this software suite.
The main CD is Mahjongg Master 5. This software includes over 250 mahjongg layouts and over 350 different tile sets. The game also offers a choice of more than 1400 backgrounds. You can also choose whether to view the tiles in 2D or 3D. A great feature is that you can create your own tilesets (the supported formats are .bmp and .jpg).
There are seven games to choose from: Solitaire, 2-Player (play against a friend), Rivers, Memory, Clicks, Slider and Kumika. Most of the games have a selection of Easy or Hard levels and some have a Medium difficulty.
Music can be played during the game. There are 22 musical tracks included. The tracks are soothing instrumentals. If the music is not to your taste, there is an off button.
Included in the package is a bonus CD called Mahjongg Patience. There are 10 games of solitaire to choose from: Mahjongg Freecell, Crazy Quilt, Car Park, Mahjongg Klondike, Klondike Gold Rush, Mahjongg Spider, Short Spider, Mahjongg Gaps, Pyramid of Wild Dragons and Easy Pyramid. Many of these games are based on card games of a similar name, only mahjongg tiles are used and the rules are a bit different. Note that this bonus game CD does not have the extensive tilesets and backgrounds that the other CD has. There are only four basic tilesets, and the solid color background can be changed to a number of different solid colors. The descriptions in the below sections are not about this bonus CD.
I installed both CDs on a computer that is running Windows XP. Installation was simple. A 138mb of hard drive space is required.
System requirements are:
233 MHz Pentium PC
16mb RAM
Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP
3D Accelerator Direct-X compliant
DirectX 7.0 or higher
Sound Card
Mouse & CD ROM Drive
The Tilesets
The variety is great in the tilesets. The tiles have a dimensional appearance. The 2D layout positions the tiles flat as if playing on a table. The 3D view tilts the playing field for better viewing as the cursor moves across the tiles.
Variety is enormous, especially if you start creating your own tilesets. For example, there are tilesets depicting: tropical fish, flowers, wild animals, hotair balloons, medieval times, butterflies, musical notes, snowflakes, fans, dogs (but no cats!), universe, dragons, as well as traditional tilesets in various colors. Some of these tilesets are quite intricate and require concentration in order to find the matches. Other tilesets are difficult to read. For instance, the butterflies and pool balls are easy to view and match. The flowers and alphabet tiles are intricately done (lots of visual detail), which makes them more difficult to match.
If you grow bored of the tileset you are using during a game, you can change to a different set of tiles without losing your place in the game. There is also a shuffle button to rearrange the tiles on the board.
The help file gives basic instructions on how to create tilesets. Use an existing tileset as a template to begin, and the tiles can be created in different sizes as long as they are in .bmp or .jpg format.
Layouts
Choosing a tileset is just the beginning of the game. There is also the layout of the tiles (how the tiles are arranged on the playing field). There are various options such as:
Abstract Building – a central tower of tiles rests on 9x9 grid of tiles
Scorpion – the tiles are arranged in the shape of a scorpion
Hourglass – a sideways hourglass is formed from stacked tiles
Yin and Yang – the tiles form an uneven stacked circle
Traditional – tiles arranged in the traditional way
If none of the layouts appeals to you (or if you are ready for a change), you can create your own layout. It’s easy to do. I made a layout in the design of a hotair balloon. When I play it, I choose the cloud background.
Backgrounds
Speaking of background images ... this program offers a wide selection of wallpapers. Some of the background designs are wild and will make seeing the tiles difficult. The daisy background shows huge flowers which overwhelms some of the more intricate tilesets. There are also images of cars, a computer circuit board, real and fantasy landscapes and an assortment of textures and colors.
The Rules & My Favorites
The various games all have rules that are available through the help menu. I enjoy playing the regular solitaire, which is similar to the Taipei version of the game that I first enjoyed so much.
The Memory game is similar to the game concentration, where the tiles are placed face down. Click on the tiles to turn them over. Remember where the tiles are to form matches. The one disappointment in this game is that it doesn’t tell you how many correct or incorrect guesses you’ve made. It would be nice to have that extra measurement to see how one improves from game to game.
Slider is an interesting game. It reminds me of the tile puzzles I played when a kid. In this game, the object is to form rows (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) of five or more tiles. When this is achieved, the tiles are removed from the board. However, as you are sliding tiles around the board to make matches, more tiles are being added to the board to block your play. If you enjoy puzzle challenges ... this is addictive.
Clicks is a fun game. The game begins with an 18x12 grid of tiles. The object is to click clusters of tiles that are the same (2 or more of the same tile). Clicking those tiles removes them from the board. As the tiles are removed, the vertical columns of tiles drop to fill the vacant areas. The object is to remove all the tiles. It looks simple, but strategy is required.
A Few Observations
I enjoy playing mahjongg solitaire tile games, and this software offers plenty of ways to create unique and fun games. However, I do have a few complaints with this collection:
1. Some of the tilesets are difficult to see. Either the tiles are too small, dark, or the tile designs too intricate, making game play difficult.
2. A person with vision problems will most likely find these games frustrating more than fun. They could stick with basic tilesets and play the games fine, but that definitely limits one’s game options. I find my eyes grow tired more quickly playing these games than they do with other game software.
3. There is no “zip” to the games. When the tiles are matched and disappear from the board, there is a soft popping sound. Perhaps I am spoiled by Pogo.com. They have a mahjongg game that includes the four seasons in the tileset. On Pogo, when the seasons are matched, the tiles become animated, make a whooshing noise, and the background of the game changes to match the seasoned tiles that were matched. This mahjongg games has no “bells or whistles”.
4. The bonus CD of Patience Mahjongg reminds me of the old DOS games ... simple layout, basic background colors, not much tile selection. Compared to the other CD, the bonus CD is like a piece of burlap and the other CD a nice piece of silk. The quality of the two games is nowhere close.
5. I’m not sure if it’s a software glitch or a fluke in the program. I can have the mahjongg game open and view my Windows taskbar, and am able to pop out of the game to check email or do other tasks before returning to the game. However, when the mahjongg game window is open and my cursor rests on the Windows taskbar, a white bar flashes across the bottom of the screen. The white bar flashes quickly, but I can see that it has text in it that describes the button the cursor is resting over. This is annoying.
While I enjoy playing mahjongg solitaire, this Mahjongg Master Deluxe software is a mixed bag. It definitely offers game variety, and being able to create your own layouts and tilesets is a big plus. However, the software does have drawbacks. The big one for me is that I can’t play this game for any length of time before my eyes become tired. And I’m not the only one to feel that way. Friends who have seen the game, experience the same problem.
So do I recommend this game? Yes! If you enjoy mahjongg solitaire, you will most likely enjoy playing the games on this software. If you are creative, you will have fun constructing your own game layouts and creating new tilesets. For $14.99, the software is not a major investment and will entertain.
Contains two complete full-featured products Mahjongg Master 5 and Mahjongg Patience Includes 17 unique Mahjongg mini games Enjoy 389 3-D rendered til...More at Amazon Marketplace
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