Ningpo Mahjong

*Looking for a matching bonanza? The ancient Chinese game of Mahjong just gets better! Relax while you enjoy this classic solitaire game of tile matching. Features include: multiple layouts, tile sets, and backdrops to choose from, plus great music, high scores, shuffle, undo, and hint options.* -RealArcade Official Description

**Ningpo Mahjong** is a Mahjong Game Developed by Pyrogon Inc and PopCap Games and Released on July 26th, 2002. This Game was Available Until Being Discontinued in 2008-2009.

## Overview

### Genre

Mahjong

Classic, Coliseum, Orchid are just a few of the boards from which to choose in Ningpo Mahjong. Choose tiles sets ranging from Chinese letters to pieces of candy.

**Playing the Game**

The goal of NingPo MahJong is to remove all the tiles from the board by finding matching pairs of 'free tiles'.  A tile is considered free when there is no tile on top of it and if either the left or right edge is unobstructed.

Two tiles match if they are of the same suit and value.  The honor tiles do not have a value, but can be matched with any other tile of the same type.

The game is over when all tiles are removed or there are no more matching free tiles.

A free tile is outlined by a green box when the cursor is over it.  A blocked tile is outlined by a red box.

**Customizing the game**

After the game loads, you will see a screen that allows you to pick your layout, tile set and background.  You can browse through the available selections by clicking on the yellow arrow buttons.

Click 'START' to begin the game.

Many tile sets and layouts are only available in the full version of NingPo MahJong.

**Navigation**

The following controls are available on the left-hand side nagivation during game play.

New Game - This allows you to begin a new game at any time.  Beginning a new game will end the game you are currently playing.

Options - Clicking this button brings up the Options Dialog.  Your game will be paused while the Options Dialog is on screen and your score will not be affected.

Rules - This displays brief information on how to play the NingPo MahJong.

Hint/Find Match - This button will help you find a match when you are stuck.  If no tiles are selected, the Hint button will appear.  If a tile is selected, then the Find Match button will appear.

Clicking Hint will briefly highlight one available pair of matching tiles.  Clicking Find Match will highlight all tiles that can be matched with the currently selected tile, whether they are free or not. You can also press the H key on your keyboard to use this feature.

Show Moves - Clicking Show Moves will highlight all the available free tiles, and can help you identify a match when you are stuck.  They will remain highlighted for as long as you keep the Show Moves button depressed.  You can also press the Space bar on your keyboard to use this feature.

Pause - This pauses your current game.

Undo - This will undo your last move.  You may undo as many matches as you like, but there is a 60 second penalty for using this feature.  You can also press the U key on your keyboard to use this feature.

Shuffle - This feature will shuffle all the remaining tiles.  This is handy if you heave few or no more matches available.  You may also press the S key on your keyboard to use this feature.

Exit - This will end your current game and close NingPo MahJong.

Score - This displays the time taken to play, plus any penalties added for using the Hint, Undo or Shuffle features.

Available - This shows how many matches are currently available.

Tiles Left - This shows how many tiles are remaining in the current game.

**Options**

You can change game settings by clicking the OPTIONS button on the sidebar.

Music and Sound Effects

The two sliders at the top of the Options dialog control the volume of the sound effects and music.  You can adjust them separately.  If you want to turn the music or sound off completely, just drag the slider all the way to the left.

Fullscreen

The Fullscreen option is enabled by checking the box next to it.  This will cause NingPo MahJong to take up the whole screen.  Some players may prefer this, while others may like it better in a window, where they can easily switch to other applications.  To change back to windowed mode, just uncheck the Fullscreen box.

Automatic Hints

When enabled, this feature will automatically highlight one pair of matching tiles if a match has not been found for the last 45 seconds.  This feature is enabled by default, to turn it off just uncheck the Automatic Hints box.

Best Times

Clicking this button will show you the top 8 times for each of the different layouts.  The Score column represents the time taken to finish playing the layout plus any time penalties accrued due to the use of hints, shuffle, etc . . .  The Time column shows the actual time taken to play the level.

Scoring

The scoring for NingPo MahJong is based on the time taken to play each layout, plus extra time penalties accrued by using the Hint, Find Match, Shuffle, and Undo features.  The time penalties for using these features are as follows:

HINT:       30  seconds

FIND MATCH: 30  seconds

UNDO:       60  seconds

SHUFFLE:    120 seconds

**Hints and Tips:**

Whenever possible try to remove the tiles that are on top of other tiles.  This frees the ones beneath them.

There are no penalties for using the Show Moves feature.

There is a 120 second time penalty for using the shuffle feature, so only use it as a last resort!

Pausing the game will also pause the timer and does not adversely affect your score.

There is a 30 second time penalty added to your score each time you use the Hint or Find Match features, so use them carefully!

## Availabilty Status

As of February 15th, 2023, The RGS Installer File of Ningpo Mahjong is Now Finally Found and Archived.