═══ 1. Game Menu ═══ Use this menu bar item to select game playing options: New Game Starts a new game. Restart Restarts the current game. Undo Replaces tile pairs. Status Displays the number of open pairs. Exit Ends the session. ═══ 1.1. New Game ═══ Select New Game to re-shuffle all 144 tiles, and build a new dragon. ═══ 1.2. Restart ═══ Select Restart to rebuild the current dragon with all 144 tiles without re-shuffling the tiles. This will allow you to try an alternate strategy, or to give a friend a chance to compete with the same layout. ═══ 1.3. Undo ═══ Select Undo to restore the last tile pair matched to their original positions in the dragon. You may undo as many plays as you like. Restored tiles may then be paired with alternate eligable tiles, or replayed with their original mates. ═══ 1.4. Status ═══ Select Status to display a message box indicating the total count of tiles remaining and the number of pairs currently eligible for play. (This message box may also be displayed by clicking mouse button 2 while the pointer is anywhere on the background of the main window.) Note that three open tiles of a given type would count as three possible plays, since the first could be matched with either the second or third, and so on. ═══ 1.5. Exit ═══ Select Exit to end the current Mah Jongg session. ═══ 2. Options Menu ═══ Select the Options pull-down menu to set your preferences for the following: Sound Toggles sound effects on or off. Background Color Changes the color of the game board. ═══ 2.1. Sound ═══ Select Sound to toggle the sound effects and warning beeps on or off. If checked, sound is enabled. ═══ 2.2. Background Color ═══ Select Background Color to activate the Colors Dialog Box. Use this dialog box to set the background color of the game board. The color you select will be used until you change it again. When you end the current Mah Jongg session, your color choice will be saved in an initialization file, and automatically restored the next time you start the game. ═══ 3. Help Menu ═══ Use the Help pull-down menu to access online help for playing Mah Jongg. ═══ 3.1. Help for Help ═══ Select Help for Help from the Help pull-down for information on how to use the Help Facility. ═══ 3.2. Extended Help ═══ Select Extended Help from the Help pull-down to access in-depth information on how to play Mah Jongg. ═══ 3.3. Help Index ═══ Select Help Index from the Help pull-down to access the Help System Index. ═══ 3.4. Help for About ═══ Select About from the Help pull-down to display a dialog box containing Mah Jongg copyright and version information. ═══ 4. Mah Jongg ═══ Mah Jongg is a solitaire game played with a standard set of Mah Jongg tiles. There are 144 tiles in all, stacked in a "dragon". The object of the game is to remove all of the tiles from the game board by selecting matching pairs from the dragon. See also: Tile Set. Game Board. Playing the Game. Strategy Tips. ═══ 4.1. Tile Set ═══ The Mah Jongg tile set consists of 144 tiles these groups: Suits There are three suits in the Mah Jong set. Each set consists of tiles numbered 1 through 9, and there are four of each, totaling 108. The suits are: Bamboos called Bams. Circles called Dots. Characters called Craks. Tiles in the suits must be of the same suit and number to be matched. Honors Winds There are four tiles for each of the four directions of the winds: North, East, South, and West, sixteen tiles in all. Winds must be matched by direction. Dragons Dragons are divided into three colors: red, green, and blue. There are four of each for a total of twelve. Dragons must be matched by color. Flowers Flowers There are but four flower tiles. Although each of them is a different color, each may be matched with any other. Seasons There are four season tiles depicting a tree in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, respectively. Any season may be paired with any other. ═══ 4.1.1. Bamboo Suit ═══ The Bamoo Suit of Tiles ═══ 4.1.2. Circle Suit ═══ The Circle Suit of Tiles ═══ 4.1.3. Character Suit ═══ The Character Suit of Tiles ═══ 4.1.4. Winds ═══ The Winds Tiles ═══ 4.1.5. Dragons ═══ The Dragon Tiles ═══ 4.1.6. Flowers ═══ The Flower Tiles ═══ 4.1.7. Seasons ═══ The Seasons Tiles ═══ 4.2. Game Board ═══ Tiles on the Mah Jongg game board are arranged in a dragon of eight horizontal rows, and stacked to various heights from 1 to 5 tiles high. Notice that the uppermost tile in the very center of the dragon is at a height of five, and that it blocks removal of the four tiles immediatly beneath it, even though it doesn't completely cover them. Likewise, the single tile on the far left and the two tiles on the far right block access to both the fourth and fifth rows. ═══ 4.3. Playing the Game ═══ Select a tile by moving the mouse pointer to the desired tile and clicking the number 1 mouse button once. (A tile may be selected only if there are no tiles on top of it, and if it is not blocked on either the right or the left with tiles stacked to the same height.) The selected tile will change color. If you wish to choose a different tile instead, simply click on the same tile again. It will be deselected and will change back to its original color. Once you have selected a tile, choose another which is both available and matches the first. The two tiles must be identical, with the following two exceptions: 1. Seasons may be matched with any other season. 2. Flowers may be matched with each other regardless of color. Continue selecting and removing pairs of tiles until there are no more possible matches (sorry, you loose), or until there are no remaining tiles, in which case YOU WIN ! References: Tile Set. Game Board. Strategy Tips. ═══ 4.4. Strategy Tips ═══ Although not all dragons can be conquered, there are a few basic strategies that can help. The tile in the very center, and the three tiles at the far left and right of the middle of the board should be removed as soon as possible because they block access to the largest number of tiles. Try to work down from the highest tile and in from the longest rows. If all four tiles of a given type are free, remove them immediatly. If only three of four are free, delay selecting a pair from them as long as possible. The fourth may turn up in the process of removing other tiles, or you may simply find which two would be of greatest value to remove according to which other tiles they are blocking. After selecting many pairs, it is often difficult to remember how many of a given tile type remain. You can display this information by moving the mouse pointer to the tile and clicking the number 2 button. The resulting dialog box will indicate the total number of tiles of that type remaining, whether they are currently free or not. (Note that there is no comparable menu command for this function.) Try changing the background color of the game board. This may reduce eye strain, as well as make certain tile colors stand out better for easier matching. Of course, as a last resort, you may back up, or, undo as many previous plays as you wish, or restart that game from the beginning. See also: Undo. Restart. ═══ 5. Colors Dialog Box ═══ Use this dialog box to modify the background color of the Mah Jongg game board. You may change colors as often as you like, even in the middle of game, without disrupting play in any way. The dialog box presents three scroll bars labeled Red, Green, and Blue, respectively. The current color value of each is displayed above the scroll bar. To change the color, manipulate the scroll bar(s) with the mouse. The large square will change to represent the current color mix indicated by the scroll bars. When you have adjusted the color to your liking, simply click the 'OK' button. The dialog box will be discarded and the game board repainted with the new color. Or, if you prefer, select 'Cancel' from the dialog box to abandon changes.