I recently picked up this new Freeverse game for Mac OS X and thought I'd share a few first impressions. Ever since Activision released "Shanghai" in the late 1980s I've been a fan of this type of game, and I've probably bought a dozen different versions of it, for various platforms including the GameBoy and Palm OS.
This version plays quite well, and has a good number of layouts -- many of which aren't totally silly -- a common problem in this genre. The price is also right, retailing for around $20.
Activision, of course, had the good sense to leave "Mahjong" out of the title of their game, since the only thing these tile-matching puzzles share with the real game of Mahjong is the tileset, and a penchant for vaguely "oriental" trappings. Oddly, Freeverse not only uses "Mahjong" (which again, it is not) but also adds the head-scratching "solitaire" to the title. I guess this is supposed to imply that it's a single-player game, and to associate the game with their successful Burning Monkey (cards) Solitaire.
Some parts of Burning Monkey Mahjong feel rushed. There's a glaring typo on the back cover of the box and the manual takes the lazy-man's approach to documentation by simply describing what every menu command does. (Including the startling revelation that choosing "Quit" will quit the application.) As a documentation professional, this disappointed me, especially after the opening page's interesting "haiku" installation instructions.
All in the all the game is quite good. The controls are responsive, matched tiles fade off the screen with a satisfying visual effect, and the required "show next move" is smart enough to suggest reasonable strategic alternatives.
The "Burning Monkey" part, however, might not be to your taste. Luckily, you can turn off the wise-cracks and silliness if it disturbs your concentration.
But there is one glaring, serious problem that will prevent some Mac OS X users from using the game. The application requires a minimum screen resolution larger than 800 x 600. There's no mention of this on the package or the website. To add insult to injury, an email to Freeverse Tech Support about this issue has gone unanswered for four days now. Beware, if you have an older iBook that's limited to 800 x 600, this game is not for you.