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 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.
