Onet Mahjong Connect

Onet Mahjong Connect is worth reading for its rule alone, because Lof Games states it in the form that actually matters: two matching tiles can be linked if the path joining them is made of three straight lines or fewer. The connect-tips guide walks through the same rules from the start.

Most boards in this family say the same thing as a turn count, and the difference is worth understanding. Three segments allow two corners, which means a pair on opposite edges of the grid is reachable when the route only needs to step out, run across and step back in. Learning to see that L-shaped and Z-shaped route is the whole skill; everything else is noticing which tiles look alike. Linker Kyodai keeps the path rule and changes the pictures.

The board runs to a long series of levels, and Lof Games draws it wide at 1280 by 720, which suits routes that travel horizontally more often than vertically. Touch works alongside the mouse. The same scanning across an open grid is what the Connect: Spooky board asks for.

1. Pick two tiles showing the same face.
2. Trace the route between them and count the straight segments, since three or fewer is legal.
3. Select both tiles to clear the pair.
4. Empty the board to finish the level and open the next in the series.

• Count segments, not corners — the rule in Onet Mahjong Connect is stated as three straight lines, and thinking in segments makes long routes easier to see.
• Use the outside lane — a route that steps out of the grid, runs along the edge and steps back in is still three lines.
• Clear the wide axis — the 1280 by 720 board is broader than it is tall, so horizontal routes have more room than vertical ones.
• Keep matched sets balanced — where four identical faces sit on the board, take the pair that leaves the other two within reach of each other.