Mahjong Royal

Inlogic Software describes Mahjong Royal in one line: an oriental solitaire puzzle in the classic mould, offered as the next one you settle into rather than as a new twist on the format. The plain answer for new players goes through it slowly for a first-time player.

That plainness is the honest summary. The studio leaves the specifics unsaid, and boards of this kind usually run on the one rule everyone already knows — two identical faces, both free, lifted off together until the deal is gone. Its tags read brick, classic and matching, which points at a solid block of a layout rather than a scattered field. Golden Autumn Mahjong shares this board’s place in the catalogue.

The window is 800 by 600 and the build is marked mobile-ready, so the same deal works from a mouse on a desktop or a fingertip on a tablet. Inlogic’s promise is mastery in no time, which on a royal-themed deal comes down to reading which copy of a face is worth spending first. The Mojicon Fruit Connect board stands next to this one in the same list.

1. Open the royal deal and pick out two tiles showing the same face.
2. Check that each of the pair is free to be lifted before selecting it.
3. Clear the upper pieces first, so the ones pinned beneath them come into play.
4. Keep going until the last two faces leave the layout.

• Treat it as a warm-up — Mahjong Royal is the plain classic deal, which makes it a sensible board to learn the lifting order on.
• Spend the copies wisely — four copies of a face are two chances, and using both easy ones early leaves the awkward pair stranded.
• Read the block — the brick tag suggests a dense arrangement, so the free pieces are along the rim rather than in the middle.
• Sit back on a tablet — the build is marked mobile-ready, and a royal deal at 800 by 600 stays legible on a smaller screen.