A Matching Island Paradise

Want to get away to a tropical paradise, surrounded by golden sandy beaches and azure seas? Love nothing more sipping on an umbrella drink while sitting under a shady palm tree? Look no further: sit back, relax, and enjoy Caribbean Mahjong.

The traditional tile matching game from Asia has taken on a Caribbean flavor, taking you on a journey through the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, and beyond. The gameplay is essentially identical -- you seek and remove "available" pairs of tiles -- but the subtle tropical music coupled with the nicely themed tiles make for a fairly unique experience.

A tile is playable when there is nothing blocking it from above, and it can either be accessed from the left or the right. If there is a tile on both the left and the right, or it is covered at all from above, then that tile is not available for play.

Treasure Hunting

There are two game modes. The main game mode -- Luxury Cruise -- charges you with the task of collecting keepsakes and postcards, whereas the secondary option -- Island Hopping -- presents a more leisurely approach. The major difference is that with Luxury Cruise, the stage ends when you clear the two specially marked "keepsake" tiles (they are highlighted in yellow), whereas in Island Hopping, you must clear the entire board.

Luxury Cruise levels, in this way, pass more quickly and they reward you with special items that you can view in a keepsake holder, available from the main title screen. Go treasure hunting!

Metal Detectors and Other Help

Mahjong solitaire can be a challenging game, especially when you are presented with a large, varied field. For purists, Caribbean Mahjong allows you to play the game without any help, but for people wanting a slightly easier take on the classic, there are several helpers, hints, and aids that you can take advantage of.

Hints: You can choose between Full, Partial and No Hints. When you select any given tile, its corresponding match(es) will pulse.

Tile Focus: It can be sometimes difficult to differentiate between the different layers or to know for certain whether a particular tile is available for play. This is where the tile focus option comes into play. Choose from Matches (highlights tiles that have pairs available), Playable (highlights available pieces), and Top Layer.

Changing for the Better

There are three ways to help make more tiles available for play when you run out of moves.

• Free Cell: Temporarily place any tile (or several, depending on the stage) in the free cell, either saving it for later, or simply to make another piece playable.
• Trade Winds: A gust of wind comes and pushes all the tiles to one side of the screen. This can change the orientation of several pieces, presenting new possible matches.
• Shuffle: Mix it up. When you make use of the Shuffle tool, the tiles are effectively randomized.

So Much Fun, Mon

Caribbean Solitaire is boatloads of fun. Hours upon hours are easily consumed as you go digging for unique trinkets in the Luxury Cruise mode. There are even two Caribbean-themed tile sets to go with the lovely, yet non-intrusive music and graphics. This title is easily recommended as one of the best Mahjong Solitaire computer games out there.