Behind Every Artifact is a Story

I've always enjoyed mahjong solitaire games, because the concept behind them is so simple. You just look at a field of tiles, scanning through them to see if you can an appropriate match. Clear the field and move on to the next challenging layout. At the same time, you want to be rewarded for your hard work and I think this is where Mahjongg Artifacts II comes through in spades.

Behind the tile-matching action of the game is a fantastic story illustrated through a series of web comic style pages. Along the way, you'll earn a series of ancient artifacts, each of which carries a particular value and tale. I wonder what happens when you collect them all...

The All-Seeing Eye of Matches

One of the difficulties associated with certain mahjong solitaire games is that it can oftentimes be challenging to discern which tiles are available and which tiles are not. Some titles attempt to rectify this by creating a slight shadow effect, but even then, it's not always immediately obvious which mahjong tiles you can select.

In this offering, there is a great feature called the "eye." When this feature is activated, only the tiles which are available are highly illuminated, whereas the rest of the field is heavily dimmed. It becomes very obvious which tiles you can use as part of your matching pairs and which tiles you cannot, making the process of this game a heck of a lot more intuitive.

In addition to the eye, there are also other helpful tools. These are designed to scramble the field when you run out of moves, provide a hint to show you a matching pair, and undo a pairing, respectively. These are all found on the lower-right of the screen.

Start Your Journey in Japan

In the story, you are traveling through Asia in search of your good friend Marc. He has apparently influenced the locals quite a bit, appearing to them as a powerful vision of some kind. Some of his influence has been positive, but some of it has been negative as well. There's no saying where he is now. For this reason, you must slowly collect clues, investigate the evidence, and track down your good friend.

Your journey begins in Japan, where you are treated to a wonderful Japanese-themed tile set, background, and music. After collecting some wonderful Japanese artifacts (and information about Marc), your quest continues onto the Asian continent. You stop in Tibet next, but who knows how far your journey will take you. The tale continues to be told through web comic-like panels, providing intrigue, mystique, and the motivation to continue.

Relaxing Yet Invigorating

There's no time limit to your adventure. Feel free to take as much time as you need in determining your strategy and solving each mahjongg solitaire layout. Stop and smell the roses if you'd like, collecting pearls to spend on helpful hints. Recover ancient artifacts of unfathomable value, and maybe, just maybe, you'll find out what happened to Marc, your friend who was known to the locals as a mystical, powerful being of incredible influence.