Miracle Mahjong

Miracle Mahjong hands the framing to a panda. Sanoma’s board opens with a challenge from it, and the structure that follows is fixed and short: five tests, taken in order, on the way to the top. The rules behind it are laid out in the rules of the solitaire board.

A finite ladder is unusual in this category, where campaigns tend to run to hundreds of levels. Five stages means every one of them counts, and the goal Sanoma names, the honour of being a master, is awarded for finishing all of them rather than for a score. There is no long tail to grind, so a run either ends in the title or it does not. The Solitaire Candy board builds the layers into another arrangement.

The build is drawn at 1175 by 900, taller than the usual link board, so the layouts stack upward and the eye tracks vertically rather than sweeping across. Touch input works alongside the mouse, which suits a game short enough to attempt in one sitting. Mahjong Riddles: Egypt uses the matching rule on a differently drawn set.

1. Accept the panda's challenge to open the first test.
2. Pair identical tiles on the layout to remove them.
3. Clear the stage to unlock the next of the five.
4. Finish all five tests to claim the master title at the top.

• Five stages, no filler — Miracle Mahjong is a short ladder, so a careless early test costs proportionally more than it would in a long campaign.
• Track upward — the tall 1175 by 900 layout stacks tiles vertically, and scanning in columns finds pairs faster than sweeping side to side.
• Open the stack before the edges — buried tiles are what strand a stage, while the rim usually stays available longer.
• Aim for the title — the reward Sanoma names is for finishing all five tests, so an abandoned run counts for nothing.