Sweety Mahjong

Physical Form says almost nothing about Sweety Mahjong beyond its surface, and the surface is the point: a sugar-rich set of tiles where every symbol is a sweet rather than a bamboo, a circle or a character. The rules behind it are laid out in Mahjong Rules for Beginners.

That matters more than it might sound. A themed set changes the reading speed of a board — traditional suits are learned once and recognised forever, while confectionery symbols have to be told apart on their own terms, and boards of this kind usually run a little slower for the first few layouts because of it. The Madcap board sits one row away in the same list.

The build is listed for desktop only, on an 800 by 500 frame that spreads wider than it is tall — a shape that suits a broad, low arrangement more than a towering stack. From the same group, there is also the Travel Deluxe board.

1. Open the board and let your eye settle on the sweet symbols before hunting for pairs.
2. Pick out two tiles showing the same confection.
3. Take the pair off the board, as tile games of this kind are cleared in twos.
4. Keep going until the last sweet has left the layout.

• Learn the sweets first — the familiar suits are gone here, so the opening minutes go on teaching your eye.
• Watch the near-twins — confectionery symbols often differ by colour alone, and colour is the easiest thing to misread on a small tile.
• Use a mouse — Physical Form lists this one for desktop, so precise clicking is what it expects.
• Give it the width — the 800 by 500 canvas is broader than it is tall, and a squeezed window costs you the outer columns first.