Mojicon Winter Connect

The Mojicon series takes its Onet linking into winter here, and the addition that matters is the Ice Sheet. If the layout is new, the page on onet boards explains it.

Blockers change a link game more than new artwork does. Where a plain Onet board asks only whether two icons can be joined, the Ice Sheet puts a barrier in the way that has to be broken before the ground under it is usable, so clearing becomes a matter of which pairs open the frozen sections. 2Million Games fills the grid with festive icons for the occasion, reindeer and gingerbread men and snowmen among them, and the effect is that the pieces read as pictures rather than as suits. Mahjong Linker Kyodai Game puts the same rule on a board of a different size.

The board runs at 800 by 600 and takes taps as well as clicks, which keeps the icon art large enough to sort at speed. Another board that clears along a line is the Connect HD grid.

1. Find two matching Mojicon icons on the grid, an Onet link being the mechanic here.
2. Join them to clear the pair.
3. Break the Ice Sheet blockers where they cover the board, since the ground behind them stays out of play until you do.
4. Work through the festive icon set until the winter grid is empty.

• Blockers first — an Ice Sheet left standing in Mojicon Winter Connect shrinks the usable board and hides the pair you are hunting.
• Sort by silhouette — reindeer, gingerbread men and snowmen are drawn as pictures, so their outlines separate faster than their colours.
• Keep the edges thin — Onet routes run easiest around the rim, and a clear border keeps awkward central pairs reachable.
• Follow the series habits — this is the Mojicon set in a winter coat, so the linking instincts from the earlier boards carry straight over.