Free Mahjong Game

Here is a review of my prefered Mahjong solitaire games for Mac and Windows. They are developped by In Poculis, Cyna Games and TreeCardGames.

Updated: November 2010

Lets start off with the product from In Poculis, it is the cheapest and simplest one to use. It contains 6 scenarios and 120 layouts. Each scenario has its own map, layouts, high quality graphics and musics and 5 medals to win. There is an original combo system used to boost your score. Players can post their scores on the editor's website without any registration required. You can expect to have to spend 20 hours to reach the end in standard mode, or 40 hours in expert mode.
The package size is 40 MB on Mac and 55 MB on Windows. The software is free and authors are responsive.

Lets continue with Cyna Game's shareware product. They were the first to create an excellent software: Kyodai. The interface has a lot of options and you can configure everything. The presentation screen offers you the options to play Shanghai or 6 mini games like Tetris or Memory. There is no challenge like a map to complete, nor medals to win, but there is network play, which is a great feature. There is also the possibility to create layouts yourself. Everything here is well polished so just select your layout, background, nice music and tiles, then enjoy.
The package is 15 MB and only for Windows. The software is not free and an in-game nag screen constantly reminds you of the fact.

TreeCardGames's product is programmed like a contemporary Windows application, so the menu bars are more appealing than the ones from its competitors. There is a userfriendly layout editor and options are easily understandable. As in the two other games there is a statistics panel to show your history. The game is presented like Kyodai so there are no maps; just select your background, tiles and layout, then play. The only downside is the low quality of graphics and sounds. Moreover there is no music.
The package is 12 MB and runs only on Windows. You'll need to buy the game, though there is a 30 day demonstration with limited functionality.