"Quite Possibly the Worst Version of Mahjong Ever Released For Anything"

Whooooooo boy! What a pile of suck! First off, let me begin by stating that I will not be explaining how to play Mahjong at all, so if you haven't the slightest clue, don't even try this game because you will not be able to figure it out. If you can read Japanese, then go ahead, but you're better off collecting ''Food Fighters'' toys. It's much cooler. Hardcore Mahjong players that are used to games moving at light speed will be sorely disappointed with this game, and, like me, will certainly find nothing rewarding about it whatsoever. If you actually own the Famicom cart of this game I feel very very bad for you, but if you have it on a pirate cart along with games that weren't released in America that are actually good, its a boil that one should expect to be present, but remember that it will not go away.

Gameplay (lower than 1 out of 10 if I were allowed)

The gameplay on this is terrible. The playing is slow and there is no way to speed it up, and the lack of music for the occasional blips and bleeps is hardly entertaining during the actual tile run. Controls are simple and you can easily discard tiles with the ''B'' button, but so what? Scanning through the options requires only up or down, and then selecting with the ''A'' button, and that is all. Not much to learn as far as controls go, but nothing noteworthy either. The worst part about it is that whenever another player discards a tile you need, if you aren't paying attention and don't quickly locate the option you need or press the wrong button, you'll miss a Kong or Pung or what have you and screw up your whole hand. The set-up of the game space itself is all wrong and leads to this happening more than once during a game. This, and the fact that the stupid computer lets you know when something is discarded that you can use. Kind of takes the fast-paced thinking out of it.

Sound (negative kabillion 1 out of 10)

A brief opening song that thankfully won't stick in your head and stupid blips and blops here and there. Big deal. Thanks. This is so much fun.

Graphics (1 out of 10)

Okay, I'll stop giving it a figurative, impossibly low number in this avenue. There is not much that could have been done with the tiles and the playing field, but the set-up is terrible. Gone is the traditional 4-point, compass square sitting of the players for a strange vertical composition. You'll feel like you're an accountant instead of a Mahjong player. I'm not sure why the programmers decided to do this. You do get to see all of the discarded tiles as each player gives them up, but it doesn't really matter and simply wastes space as they are out of play anyway. The tiles themselves could have been more detailed considering that this game has little to worry about for memory. The 1 of bamboo looks like a pile of green and orange puke instead of the classic bird, and the number pieces sometimes get confusing since the graphics are so bad. The colors are a bland mix of greens, blacks, and something between orange and brown. Nothing more. I had to stare at my retro blue Mahjong set to get the color back in my eyes. Also, it would have been nice to have some winning screen shots or views of the players periodically, but instead the player is given a lifeless playing field that looks like a tax form, especially if you have no idea what is going on.

Overall (negative nth 1 out of 10)

Overall this game delivers absolutely nothing. It is impossible for new players to figure out, the graphics/set-up are completely lacking, the sounds are basically non-existent, and there are no options to customize the game, level of play, or speed at which the tiles are discarded and taken. No challenge at all for the good player, and no nothing at all for the player who wants to learn. Best go to an online free gaming site to learn correctly, this game will give you night terrors of absolute doom and a consistent stream of blood that will never stop coming from your ears. Stay away!!!!!!

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/03, Updated 05/04/03