
                  The Chinese Game of Strategy and Chance!
                      Copyright 1995 by Jerome Laulicht

 Berrie Bloem's digitized traditional strategy and tactics game of
 MahJongg v1.1a, delivers the promise of his earlier shareware version.
 The software offers excellent on-line help for players at all levels with
 unusually clean programming.  We have yet to encounter a single error
 running a highly complicated game and very sophisticated program under
 Windows95. It  all adds up to a tour de force for this tiny programming
 team.

 No small part of their success was in formulating and programming the
 decision rules for the three robot players who are your opponents.  The
 complex game-playing screen is uncluttered and  functional. Even those
 people with limited experience with Windows programs will catch onto it
 quickly. The Help file is almost a model for Windows programs!  It is
 well-organized and written in lucid English. With the search engine you
 almost invariably are given precisely what you need to know in the midst
 of a game.  The introduction for MahJongg novices is first-rate.  It is
 almost possible to be happy that your opponents dont have this resource
 until you remember that their help is already built into their
 programming code.

 The shareware program available for evaluation, provides an excellent
 basis for learning or playing.  The commercial version adds significant
 features and contains real improvements.  It has all the characteristics
 of real MahJongg including the elaborate scoring system that might well
 be unique.  "This game of Chinese origin demands complexity in tactics
 and strategy which takes it beyond most games used for gambling." All
 that is missing is the spice of human interaction, a Chinese setting, and
 the pains and pleasures of gambling. How do you gamble when all your
 opponents are programming components?

 Anyone who has ever played this popular game will love its rapid pace and
 the easily controlled speed options.  Strategies which look impossible to
 understand become clearer and easier to learn using speed control.  There
 are understandable instructions and quick tips available for most
 decisions, along with a detailed scoring table which is displayed after
 each game.

 I had only the vaguest ideas about Chinese MahJongg when I  first looked
 at the program.  I knew  it was an ancient group strategy game and
 popular for gambling.  I had  played the various and  simple matching
 tile games called MahJongg.   Actually I tried this one during a work
 break only because it was on the hard disk.  What piqued my curiosity
 when I  scanned  the instructions were the clear signs of
 complexity--very different from the gambling games I knew.  My attitude
 toward the game is in flux but its mixture of interest and frustration,
 strategy and luck is growing on me.

 The demands for a strategy which  must be quickly revised during the
 play, poses a challenge.  Unlike playing with real people,  I can pause
 to consider options, find facts, and even sneak a peek at the other
 players hands.  Also intriguing is the fact that I have not yet been
 able to decipher the changing strategies of  my ferocious opponents. Yet
 to win, I must make both correct and lucky moves  while remembering their
 discards to keep them from winning first.  Perhaps I have given the game
 added zest by naming the opponents after three of my ferociously bright
 grandchildren rather then my huge and often sleepy German Shepherds.

 Real MahJongg with the original rules is not for everyone.   Given that
 it has survived so long as a form of amusement must be that it is
 interesting and fun, and for some, down right addictive. That it has come
 to western nations  from a quite a different culture makes it more
 difficult and intriguing.  A few things should be made clear.  Ignore
 anything you know or think you know about the tile matching games which
 are called MahJongg  should you  decide to try out this program.  There
 is no meaningful comparison. Also  put aside the  image of  a rather
 mysterious oriental game played by middle-aged women who have too little
 to do or by elderly retired men whose major goal is gambling. This
 venerable game of strategy  requires  mental rather than physical
 dexterity.

 Learning the Game

 A  program cannot be fun or hold your interest unless you are willing to
 learn substantially about its nuances. Complex games demand some
 patience, time and motivation .  Perhaps this is a hallmark of games
 which are fun for big kids as well as for complex computer applications.
 This is absolutely true for MahJongg  novices who need to consult Help
 frequently, especially during the early games they play.  This is not
 anything approaching a tutorial but instead points to where you can get
 needed information and suggests simple learning procedures.  If you want
 more information about the game, see an encyclopedia or the bibliography
 provided by the Bloems. The trick for a novices like me is to learn the
 game with minimal frustration. Enjoying  learning and problem solving is
 a bonus which you can accomplish using MahJongg. This is even more
 important than the difficulty of the material to learn since most give up
 on non-essential learning if it's too difficult.  So take advantage of my
 stumbles and proceed like this to minimize annoyance.

 You need to have icons for both the game and the Help file.

 Stare at the opening screen of the game for a few minutes just to get a
 vague mental image and delay the urge to play.

 You will probably benefit from using the Auto Play option a few times
 before and after reading.

 Call up the Help file alone and you get a quite functional screen which
 gives you immediate access to almost everything,--the table of contents,
 the search engine, an excellent glossary, even the game, etc.

 This screen gives you a glimmer of their concern for teaching the game to
 novices.  It tells you that "before you dive into the game, you should
 read at least the following topics. These topics will tell you all you
 need to know to get started."  You are then sent to the "absolute
 beginner's guide", an excellent idea when done so skillfully and one
 which more programs should emulate. It is "intended to lead you step  by
 step into MahJongg.

 From some reactions to their first release, they learned that an easier
 introductory section was needed to get people up and running with the
 game. The purpose is also to help you to come to grips with the game
 faster."

 The Topics are:
                          +If you are completely new to MahJongg
                          +Object of the Game
                          +Minimum Rules to get playing
                          +Minimum mouse and keyboard commands
                          +Explanation of screen

 The surprise is how well  they fulfill their promise.  It is written
 clearly  and done so well that I only need to emphasize that you read
 these pages before and while playing a half dozen rounds or so.  You will
 barely understand the game at first but you can grasp the mechanics of
 play. Then scan the instructions once again because they will become  much
 clearer. This on-line help (there is no printed manual) is excellent for
 starting newcomers at square one and teaching both the essentials of the
 game and the use of the program.

 As you play more hands,  gradually take advantage of all the options
 which make it simpler and easier for you to learn to play with
 understanding. This is your informal tutorial.  It is best to start with
 choosing to see the hands of the other three players and do it for as
 long as it helps you,  and then asking for quick tips on what tiles to
 discard.  Go to the options menu on the playing screen for these and
 consult help to find out what they do for you.

 After you have developed some insight about the game or the software its
 time to go back to the instructions for the more demanding strategies.
 You are now ready to understand the scoring and use this knowledge as a
 key basis for choosing and altering your strategy and learning tactics by
 making moves. Youre also ready to try speeding up the game by giving all
 players less time for decisions. Speed up impacts only upon you. The
 programmed others will not be affected by such demands. More experienced
 players might try changing some of the rules and/or changing the score
 values for any of the hands or game events.  You can always consult the
 on-line help for discussions and examples of each of these options.
 Simply scan the material first to get a general sense of it, figuring you
 will have to go back when you first run across these situations in your
 play.  Search on words like tactics and scoring and get an idea of the
 range of topics covered in Help.

 Once you can play the game using a few of these options and can easily
 adjust your tactics to them, you are ready for real people as opponents.

 The Bloems promise to develop a network version of MahJongg.  Will it
 become an interesting alternative to the network games of virtual reality
 violence that are so popular on the networks.  Since gambling might be
 frowned upon, virtual money or credits could be used and hopefully no
 hackers would alter either the scores or credit tallies kept so
 accurately on these great counting machines..

 MahJongg for Windows Version 1.01A- The REAL Game  $29.95 US
 Elaine & Berrie Bloem,
 69 lle des Plaqueminiers
 Ile Verte
 06560 Valbonne, France
 100545,2530@ compuserve.com


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