Shanghai

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs

GAME DESIGNER:Brodie Lockard
GAME DEVELOPER:Activision
GAME PUBLISHER:Activision
Copyright 1986, Activision

One of the first Mahjongg games ever made, Shanghai is a solid computer version of the popular Chinese parlor game, although it takes a lot of patience to move each tile, as there is no mouse support. For those who are not familiar with the board game, Mahjongg is one of the oldest solitaire games in the world (it is thought to be older than 3,000 years old). The object of the game is to remove as many of the tiles from the playing board as possible. Tiles are always removed in pairs and can only be removed from the left or the right edges. Any tile that is not on a left or right edge is considered “blocked” and cannot be removed. Since tiles are arranged in 5 height levels, and each level has a left and right edge, the number of unblocked tiles decrease as you remove them, thereby making the game more challenging as time goes on, and planning crucial.

Shanghai is very user-friendly and accessible for players of all levels, with clear help and complete rules you can read at any time, a tournament mode, “peek” option, and more. You can even take back a move, or read up on recommended strategy. Definitely a strong conversion of a classic board game, and a solid first start of a series that would see several more games, each a graphical improvement over the last. Recommended!

Note: This solitaire version of Mahjongg is not the same as the multiplayer game of Mah Jongg as it is commonly played in Asia. The multiplayer version is similar to gin rummy card game, with some subtle differences.