Play Mah Jong Solitaire Online

This particular article describes a few sites where you can play the single-player variety of the game, most often referred to as "Mahjong Solitaire". You will also notice that certain websites separate the term as two words ("Mah Jong"), while others bring them together (Mahjong). Both are equally correct.

Play Mahjong Solitaire for Free

Put simply, playing Mahjong Solitaire charges you with the task of finding matching tiles. You are presented with a field of Mahjong tiles, stacked on top of one another in a particular pattern. A tile is "free" if it is not directly beside another tile on either the left or the right. If there is a tile on top of it, it is also "locked". You goal is to clear the entire field without running out of moves. Like traditional Mah Jong, there are 3 "suits" -- the bamboo, dot, and character -- as well as other specialty tiles, like the dragons, winds, flowers and seasons. The only exception to having to find a perfect match (normally you have to find a "3 dot" tile to match another "3 dot" tile, for example) are the flowers and seasons, which can be matched within themselves. In other words, the "summer" tile can go with the "winter" tile. Also remember than the "1 bamboo" is oftentimes represented by a bird.

Freegames.ws

Freegames.ws houses several online games that you can try without having to download any software of any kind. One of these games is Mah Jong Solitaire. The game opens up in a new window and is played full screen. What this means is that the tiles appear to be quite large on your computer monitor, making Freegames.ws a good option for those of you who have trouble reading smaller fonts. While the game is in full color and takes up your entire computer display, it can be difficult to see the "layering" of the tiles in their version of Mah Jong Solitaire. This can prove quite frustrating when you think you've found a match, only to discover that one of the tiles is still "locked." You'll also notice the absence of several items, most notably a score and a timer. In this way, Mah Jong Solitaire played on the Freegames website is completely non-competitive and low pressure. I would have liked to see a "hint" button, but that is not there as well. The only available button is one that restarts the game.

• Play Mah Jong Solitaire at Freegames.ws

GameHouse

GameHouse is a giant when it comes to casual games online, so it comes as little surprise that the website offers Mahjong Solitaire (they call it Mah Jong Medley). There are no fewer than ten different layouts for you to choose from, providing a fair amount of variety to an otherwise straightforward tile-matching game. In addition to the free online game, GameHouse also offers a free download version of Mah Jong Solitaire, as well as a fuller version that is available for purchase ($19.95). In the basic online rendition of the game, you hear a stereotypical Chinese "gong" sound with each matching pair and you receive bonus points for completing the puzzle in a shorter amount of time.

• Play Mah Jong Solitaire at GameHouse

JustFreeGames

JustFreeGames offers two versions of Mah Jong Solitaire: the "classic game" and the "time attack". Both play exactly the same way, except -- as you'd probably guess -- time is of the essence when it comes to the latter rendition as there is a time limit involved. One feature that I really like about JustFreeGames' offering is that when you roll your mouse pointer over a particular tile, it either lights up green or red, indicating whether or not the tile is available. This makes selection very easy. The problem, though, is that it appears the animation is quite low resolution, making it sometimes difficult to differentiate between similar-looking tiles (like the flowers and seasons, for example).

• Play Mah Jong Solitaire at JustFreeGames