Mahjong In Poculis

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on August 15, 2011

We have loved mahjong--or the popular computer version of it, which is really mahjong solitaire--ever since we first encountered it in our middle school computer lab. True mahjong is a multiplayer table game and bears little resemblance to the computer game that most Westerners know, which involves matching mahjong-style tiles with one another in order to clear the board. Mahjong In Poculis is the latter. If you're looking for traditional mahjong, this isn't it, but if you're a lover of mahjong solitaire, be prepared to spend a big chunk of your time with this addictive game.

The game's home screen lets you select your language, add players, and choose a difficulty level (child, standard, or expert). There are six themes to choose from--Asian, Halloween, neutral, wonderland, Easter, and Christmas--and each theme contains numerous different tile setups that reflect the theme. You must complete the first game in order to move on to the next one, with award medals along the way. The program's graphics are quite attractive, with options for 2D and 3D rendering, and each theme contains matching music that has its own volume control. A built-in Help file gives new users an overview of how the game is played, and a really detailed scoring interface gives serious players plenty of stats about their performance. We do wish that Mahjong In Poculis let you save games that are in progress, but this is a relatively minor complaint. Overall, this is the best digital version of mahjong that we've encountered, and we recommend it.

Mahjong In Poculis installs a desktop icon without asking and leaves a folder behind upon removal.