The Emperor’s Mahjong – PN – Review

The object of the game is
to match tile pairs until all of the tiles are gone. To be selectable, a tile
must have a side edge free, and must have no other tiles on top of it. Some
tiles, however, can be matched if they share similar themes, such as different
flowers. There are many different layouts to keep it interesting and when
playing the emperor’s challenge.  You must complete all 72 levels in a
specified amount of time.

 

If you like, there is a
design editor that allows you to custom design and save your own layouts. 
Truly implemented for the mahjong addicts.  You can also play a two-player
game in a turn-based sort of fashion from one PC.  Once the game is completed
the computer tallies up the score to determine the winner.  I feel this could
have been a bit better if you could go head to head from two PCs.  But hey,
that’s just me.

 

High-end 3D graphics are
not needed to enjoy this game, nor is a tremendous ear popping sound card. 
The game is quite simple, but highly addictive.  When I sit down to play, it
literally takes an act of self-control to pull my self away…thinking I know I
can complete the emperor’s challenge. 

 

After about ten hours of
playing, I’m only about a third of the way completed.  I have not even paid to
much attention to the other modes of play with the exception just to try them
out.  You can also enjoy Mahjong away from your desktop because this title is
Pocket PC and Palm compatible.  You can even compare and post scores or
transfer play.  Pretty neat stuff!

 

All in all I would highly
recommend this game if you enjoy puzzles or other games of this type of genre.

 


Gameplay: 8
Easy to use interface.


Graphics: 7 
Nothing
astounding, but you do not need eye-popping graphics for this type of game.

Sound: 7
The music is
pretty decent, but not a whole lot of choices.


Difficulty: Easy
You can toggle the difficulty
settings and custom design your own layouts.


Concept: 7 
Nothing really
new here, but there are 72 levels of play to actually beat the game.  Most
versions of mahjong do not offer challenging levels that you must complete to
actually beat the game in its entirety.


Multiplayer: 5
You can play two players off of
one computer in a turn based style of play.  This could have been done better
if you could play via the Internet or LAN in a more competitive style of
play…just my two cents.


Overall: 7
Though its not an
astounding white knuckled eye candy filled type of game, it is truly addicting
and fun for the entire family.