Mahjong At Home – Xmas Edition

RavalMatic gives its Mahjong At Home line a Christmas dressing here, and what changes is the surface rather than the rules: festive themes and cosy, winter-inspired artwork laid over a pair-matching board. How to Win at Mahjong Solitaire goes through it slowly for a first-time player.

There is little else claimed for it, and that is worth saying plainly. Layouts of this kind are worked by taking matched pieces off the arrangement until it is gone, and nothing in the Xmas edition suggests a departure from that. The Frozen board uses the matching rule on a differently drawn set.

The one hard fact worth having before you start is the size. At 1500 by 900 this is the widest frame in the festive collection by a clear margin, so the arrangement spreads out and the pieces stay legible deep inside a crowded pile. Taps register as readily as clicks. Mahjong lays the same tiles out in another silhouette.

1. Look across the festive layout for two pieces carrying the same picture.
2. Take the pair off the arrangement, as layouts of this kind are cleared pair by pair.
3. Work down through the pile so that covered pieces come into play.
4. Keep going until the Xmas edition board has nothing left standing.

• Use the width — at 1500 by 900 the Mahjong At Home board fills a desktop screen, and a maximised window is what keeps the festive pieces apart.
• Compare the artwork closely — a winter-inspired set replaces the classic suits, and two snowy pictures are easier to confuse than two numbered ones.
• Clear the high pieces — anything resting on top of the arrangement is holding pieces underneath, and lifting it early widens every later choice.
• Expect presentation, not new rules — the Xmas edition is described in terms of its themes and designs, so bring your usual pair-matching habits.