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Shisen-sho: One of My Favorite Puzzles, Brought to the iPhone [Super Giveaway]

By Tamar Weinberg Thu, Aug 13, 2009 @ 5:12 AM

I grew up on the Palm OS loving Shisen-sho and hoping to replicate that experience on the iPod touch. Thankfully, I’m now able to.

shisen sho Shisen sho: One of My Favorite Puzzles, Brought to the iPhone [Super Giveaway]

Shisen-sho Mahjong Solitaire ($3.99) brings that old experience back to me in a great easy-to-touch format with subtle but harmonious sound effects. In Shisen-sho, you have to unite two pieces that do not have obstructed paths. Two adjacent pieces are always fair game, but you will have to connect other pieces if and only if they can be connected by a maximum of three lines. Confusing? It gets easier to understand once you start playing (and keep reading, since a giveaway will be in progress).

I really like this game, but I have a few recommendations and suggestions based on my past experience as a Shishen-sho addict on another platform. First, vary the game board. I’d think using other characters (not just standard Mahjong-style tiles) would be more interesting, especially since foreigners like me think a lot of the characters on the game board look the same. Another option is to give timed features to all sized-games (you can play with a large game, as seen above, a medium game board, or a small one). I’d prefer an even larger game board if possible — I can defeat the large version rather quickly; I remember playing 20 minute games with my hearty Palm III (though that was on the longer side; some games were completed in less than 3 minutes but that was only after a mad dash to beat my friend who was competing against me). I’d also prefer to have timed games on all levels, not just with a specific sized board.

But — despite these shortcomings which can be easily addressed, I love this game and am so happy to see that I can still experience the game with newer technology. And now I have the opportunity to share that with you.

Giveaway: Want to play this awesome puzzle game? Leave a comment about the game. I have 9 codes available and will randomly pick winners among the participants, so be one of those who leaves your mark.

  • http://friendfeed.com/laserone Lauren

    I would LOVE to try this game. I love these kinds of games tht I can play by myself and find myself doing these kinds of games a lot on the iphone (and on facebook). This looks really great! :)

  • Brian

    Looks rather confusing, but I’ll give it a go.

  • Amanda M

    I would like to play.

  • http://www.scratchley.org Scratch

    Given the proliferation of apps for iphone and ipod that do little more than display a bikini wallpaper, I’m always appreciative of reasonably priced quality applications.

    Though a common game, if done well the tile games can be a real joy to play. Your comments make sense and themed versions tend to get more interest. People love to make their mark and a version that supports multiple ‘styles’ of tile will likely garner even more attention.

  • http://Twitter.com/jarrettxavier Jarrett Pettigrew

    Ooh ooh, I love Mahjong! I also like apps that don’t make me feel like hitting delete in 5 mins. =o)

  • http://www.365photoblog.com Sonic

    Must have Mahjong!

  • drewb2b

    I remember playing this waaaay back on my old Mac Performa 405. ‘Course, then it was called “Shanghai”… (I think).

  • Steven V

    It’s christmas soon and various mac communities are giving sooooo many iphone apps away i’m starting to feel guilty just looking for the free ones. The word “Free” sure does come in handy when i’m trying to convert someone to apple products.

  • Don7ms

    I stumbled upon this site from a link on the appvent calendar which was an awesome experience this December. I like crosswords and sudoku and this game looks different. I would be interested in learning how to play shisen-sho. By just looking at it I haven’t a clue of whats going on. Looks alot different than Mahjong.

  • Dorothy

    I just found this game for my imac and am so glad. I,too, played it on an old palm. Actually I think I played it on my visor and then on my treo. When I got my palm z it crashed when I tried to play. I am going to get an ipod touch but am waiting to see whether they will release a version with a camera. I’m so happy to see that I will be able to get this game. I don’t mind paying $3.99 for it. I like this game much better than mahjong.