Finally there is a game that makes learning math skills fun for kids, and it's interesting for adults, too! Begin with Mathjong Basic and learn the fundamentals, and then there are four more levels after that, each more challenging than the last.
This is a great skill builder and a fun way to motivate children to practice their mental math skills without being bored as they can easily become with flash cards.
The principle basis for Mathjong is the ancient Chinese tile game Mahjong. If old King Wu had played this version of the game, he may have even liked it better.
Encouraging children to play Mathjong builds their math reasoning skills without making it seem like schoolwork. Very simple equations used early in the learning process will become more involved as players learn that they can complete the game faster by using more numbers in each equation submitted.
When you first begin to play the game, Mathjong may seem easy, but then you fall into the trap of using all your operation symbols, which means you can't finish the game. With a little practice, you will learn how to get down to a few remaining tiles before you are stumped again.
But don't give up. You can't expect to win every game until you are a very accomplished Mathjong player. Mathjong is a single player game, but because the top score is maintained on your computer for a short time, you can challenge others to beat your best score.
You can also work toward bettering your own top score to increase your skills. Keeping a log of your scores on each of the five levels gives you a goal to work toward every time you play the game.
Every Mathjong game is different from the last one because the random number generator places symbols and numbers in different places each time you start a new game. You should never grow tired of playing and you'll never play the same game twice.
Now that's something you will have to find out on your own. You may have one equation in which you only score 20 points and another that is worth over 900 points. Once you understand how it all goes together, you can make big scores and clear the boards much more often, too.
After Basic Mathjong, you will graduate to Chinese Fan Mathjong, which will require more concentration. The Diamond Mine deals with nine stacks of tiles and a few single tiles sprinkled over the board. Infinity Mathjong has more tiles stacked so the mystery of what number comes up next is even greater.
By the time you reach Pyramid Mathjong you will be an old hand at the game and well up to the challenge of working with very few tiles at one time.
You should now be ready to begin your quest to reach Pyramid Mathjong. Good luck and have fun!