Find The Lost Amulets

Liong - The Lost Amulets is a clever fusion of mahjong and hidden objects gameplay, with a sprinkling of bonus levels thrown into the mix for good measure.

The story goes like this: The five magical amulets - representing earth, fire, wood, metal, and water - hold the elements in balance. Long ago they were entrusted to oriental wise men, but over the years have gone missing. It's up to you (isn't it always?) to recover the missing amulets and restore harmony to nature. It sounds like a pretty daunting task but, don't worry, it's also a lot fun.

Great Presentation

This product immediately pulled me in with its fantastic presentation. From the main menu, you can choose to start your adventure, which follows the story, or you can play classic mahjong. You can also go to the options screen where you can customize your game experience in a variety of ways, right down to the tile sets. There are several beautiful choices including, traditional, flower, animal, and rainbow tiles.

I thought this was Majhong!

I was under the impression that this was purely a mahjong game, so when the first level turned out to be a hidden objects stage, I was pleasantly surprised. While at first it seemed like an odd combination, the two mechanics work well together, as they both require you to search heavily with your eyes.

While the hidden objects levels play by the classic rules, the mahjong portions are slightly different. Instead of matching two tiles in the pile, you're shown five tiles at the bottom of the screen. You can only clear a tile from the table if it matches one of these five tiles. Once you get used to looking at the bottom of the screen, you'll have no problem.

Of course, if you're in the mood for a traditional game, you can always select that option from the main menu. You'll then be taken to a game with classic rules.

The Power of Jade Pearls

Liong allows you to use power-ups to help you along on your quest, but the way in which they're utilized is very clever and original. Scattered throughout the levels are jade pearls, which you can collect by finding and clicking on them. You can then use these pearls during the mahjong levels to buy whatever power-up you need.

A simple hint, which shows you the next removable tile, costs 1 jade pearl, as does undoing a move you made. The pattern remover can be had for 2 pearls, which will remove all of the tiles of the pattern you select. And if you get really stuck, for 3 pearls you can shuffle all of the tiles.

One of a Kind

Liong - The Lost Amulets is the first mahjong/hidden object combination that I've come across, but with how well it works, I'd definitely like to see more. Anyone looking for a classic mahjong experience can find it here, as well as quite a bit more, so why not check it out? I'm glad I did.