Super Mahjong Quest

As befits one of the most popular leisure experiences in Asia, there are probably more mobile versions of Mahjong than any other game. It all creates a bit of a dilemma for developers: how can you make your tile-based cross between Snap and Solitaire stand out from the crowd?

The clue with Super Mahjong Quest comes with its title - this is the most basic, popular form of the game combined with additional tricks and intricacies.

So you're presented with a neatly arranged pile of tiles a few layers deep, all facing upwards. You must remove the entire pile by matching identical tiles in twos, but tiles can only be paired if they are totally uncovered, and have a free edge on at least one side. Helping you along the way are the so-called power tiles, of which more, later.

The game itself features two modes. There's a straightforward Freeplay mode, which has dozens of increasingly taxing tile layouts to tackle, and Kwazi's Quest, which contains a loose storyline that leads you through a series of challenges. The latter unlocks much of the main mode, though in essence the two are largely the same.

Super Mahjong Quest is perfectly presented for its function. It's easy to use, and as well as featuring its own brand of visual flair, is uncomplicated and accessible to play. The way the cursor changes colour depending on whether a tile can or cannot be played helps, and the hints available to explain what the different power tiles do eases the initial learning curve too.

There are a couple of issues however. Ideally, you'd want to play Mahjong using a mouse, rather than a keypad. On mobile, there's not a lot anyone can do about it, but even when you're flicking the cursor from one tile to another using the thumbstick, at certain points of the action, it can feel as if the game's controls are slowing you down when you want to be tearing through stacked up tiles.

Purists will also baulk at the introduction of new titles and power-ups, which when paired up perform special effects. Earthquake, for example, causes breaks in the stack of tiles, revealing new edges. Most curious of these power stones however, is the pair of eyes that, when matched, cause the whole stack to disappear, rewarding you with a wealth of bonus points. While it might sound appealing, it takes away some of the pleasure and, indeed the point, of Mahjong. Having tiles removed automatically for you can feel a little like a computer player taking over control just when you're about to score a goal in a football game.

Such complaints aside though, Super Mahjong Quest demonstrates good handling of a classic and fiendishly addictive puzzle game. The only real question is how traditionally you like to play the tiles.