Price:	16.99$		Reviewed by:	Maya Rozenshein
Supplied:	Absolutist		Review date:	8/12/2004
Pros:	Innovative game rule variations graphically pleasing		Cons:	tiles are too small no support for 480*320 screens

Being the Mahjong fan I am, I was more than happy for the opportunity to test yet another implementation of this classic Chinese solitaire game, namely Absolute Mahjong by Absolutist.

The basic rules, I believe, are probably familiar to most of you. Mahjong is a simple tile game the object of which is to remove all tiles from the board by pairing identical free tiles. A tile is free if there are no tiles covering it, and there is no tile either to the left or to the right of it. The difficulty of the game stems from the complex way the tiles are arrayed at the beginning, as well as from the complicated icons inscribed on the tiles, which make the task of visually pairing them a non-trivial one.

That said, Absolute Mahjong offers some interesting variations on the basic game. First of all, in addition to the classic straightforward tile-set pairing (enhanced in Absolute Mahjong to include some special pairs which can be matched with a set of other tiles instead of with just its identical counterpart) there are also two innovative gameplay modes - "Math" and "Word". Both add to the basic rules the ability to score more points for removing the pairs in a certain valid order or sequence of moves. In the "Math" mode a sequence is considered to be valid if you have formed a true equation using the numbers, any combination of the four mathematical operators (i.e. +, -, X, :) and the equal sign. Thus, for example if you first remove a pair of '2's then a pair of plus signs ('+) then another pair of '2's, followed by a pair of equation marks ('=') and lastly a pair of '4's you will be awarded extra points for forming that way the true mathematical equation '2+2=4'. Similarly, the "Word" mode credits you with points for removing letters in an order that forms a recognized (by the software, the vocabulary of which is a bit weird at times) word. In both those modes you can start your attempts to form a valid sequence anew anytime you like (or need to) using the "clear" button.

Other options available in the game are to "reshuffle" the tiles, thus escaping from no-more-moves-left situations, as well as the ability to ask for a hint, though the latter is confined to only the classic mode of game (and the "shuffle" mode in which the board is automatically re-shuffled when you can no longer make a valid move).

The overall look and feel of the game is very pleasant and eye-catching. The tiles are beautifully drawn and you have 36 layouts to choose from. In addition there are also nice sound and graphical effects accompanying the removal a pair of tiles, and the game as a whole looks professional and true to its original implementation on other platforms such as the desktop PC.

As for the drawbacks - the major one seems to be the somewhat small size of tiles (and other on-screen text), which makes is quite demanding on the eye. This could have been solved without compromising on the complexity of the game in terms of number of tiles on board by utilizing some scroll or zoom system or supporting larger screen resolutions (i.e. the 480*320 mode). In addition I also miss the option to play against the clock and the ability to undo a move, both unfortunately lacking from this Mahjong implementation.

The bottom line is that Absolute Mahjong is undoubtedly a professional implementation of a true classic and highly addictive game, and is certainly worth your money if you are fond of this genre of solitaire games.