Mahjongg is one of those games that looks very confusing but is simple to play.  If someone that has never played the game before looks at a game board they might shutter in questioning all of the game pieces.  What does this piece do?  Why are there so many pieces?  What is the purpose of the game?  But once they realize the game is about matching two pieces together the learning curve almost disappears.  Mahjongg Artifacts let’s gamers experience a feature filled serving of Mahjongg.

This isn’t just a simple Mahjongg game packaged inside of a box for sale.  There are three gameplay modes for you to test your Mahjongg skills.  The main focus of the game is on the Quest mode.  In the Quest mode the game presents a short one page comic book style storyboard before you play a game.  The storyboards revolve around the journey of a young Mahjongg master searching the globe for various artifacts related to Mahjongg.  The game begins in China with you playing the classic style Chinese based Mahjongg boards and pieces.  As you progress in the game you move to various destinations around the world.  When you move to a different country the game pieces change to reflect your current location.  I never imagined playing Mahjongg with Egyptian or Greek based pieces. 

By progressing in the Quest mode you unlock two other gameplay modes: Classic and Endless.   The Classic mode let’s you choose from five different tilesets and 99 boards.  The tilesets are based up on the locations you unlock in the Quest mode, such as the Chinese, Egyptian and Greek tiles plus two more.   The Endless mode is just as the name describes an endless game of Mahjongg.   The more tiles you remove the more tiles come in to replace them. 

From a gameplay perspective this game is designed for almost everyone.  If you can match two identical tiles together then you can play this game.  All of the controls are done by simply pointing and clicking to match the tiles.  If the tiles match the two tiles disappear, if they don’t match then they remain on the board.  Simple and easy.  The game does include a help and undo feature to assist you in case you get stuck or make a mistake.  But both of these features do cost you points if you use them during a game.

This review might be brief and too the point but such is the beauty of Mahjongg Artifacts.  The game offers a nice, slick presentation with the comic book storyboards and amble assortment of variety in the Mahjongg boards and tiles.  The gameplay is based upon an established puzzle game that many of us have already played.  Mahjongg Artifacts doesn’t try to reinvent the game, instead it offers a story based Quest mode and then the standard based Classic and Endless modes.  If there is one fault in the game it’s that you need to play the Quest mode to unlock everything in the Classic and Endless modes.  But honestly this shouldn’t be a deal breaker for Mahjongg fans since the Quest mode won’t have you running away in shame.

Gameplay 7.5
The game doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel by changing the core aspects of Mahjongg.  All of the core aspects of Mahjongg are left intact along with a simple to play point and click interface.

Graphics  7.7
All of backgrounds in the Quest Mode are the true highlight for the graphics in the game.  All of locations you visit in the game are presented in some bright and colorful backgrounds with a few special effects such as clouds floating.  All of the tile pieces are clearly identifiable to determine the various pieces.  Each board is presented at just the right distance to see the pieces and the entire board. 

Sound  7.0
The game features six songs inspired by the places you visit during the game.  All of the music and sound effects do a great job of setting the tone for the various stages in the game.

Difficulty Easy/Medium
The only problem you might have playing this game is if you’ve never played a Mahjongg game.  But the game features a nice tutorial to walk you through the basic and harder elements of the game.

Concept 7.5
This is a solid title in presenting the classic Mahjongg experience along with a story based adventure. 

Overall 7.4
Mahjongg Artifacts is a pleasant title that should please hardcore puzzle gamers and new gamers.  Even though there might only be three different gameplay modes there should be enough variety to keep gamers busy for a while.  Add into the mix the various locations you explore and different tilesets, besides just a Chinese theme, and this doesn’t feel like just another Mahjongg game.  But in the end this might be the true downfall of the game, it is Mahjongg and how many free versions of the game are out on the internet?  This title is attractively priced but even a low price and solid feature might not be enough to sway everyone.