Mahjong Stack Up

How to play

1. A mahjong meld swings on a rope over the table. Tap anywhere to let it go.
2. It falls onto the top of the tower. If its middle lands over the tiles below, the tower grows a floor.
3. Past their edge it tips off. From the second level, three slips start the level again.
4. Let go dead on the middle for a perfect drop: it is set straight, and a run of them is cheered on.
5. A kong is four tiles wide, a pung or a chow three, a pair two and a single tile one. Wide melds are easy to land on.
6. A tall tower sways. Melds landed off the middle make it sway more, perfect ones calm it.
7. Now and then a golden pung drifts down beside the tower. Tap it to catch it: it lands right on the middle, steadies the tower and gives back one slipped meld.
8. Wind carries a falling meld sideways; the pennant shows which way and how hard. Let go a little upwind.
9. Land a meld tied with a red ribbon perfectly and a lucky red pung drops onto it, a floor for free.
10. On the tea cart the whole tower rolls to and fro. Let go where the top will be when the meld gets there.
11. Jade melds slide on when they land off the middle, half as far again, and can slide right off.
12. Kites fly between the rope and the tower. A meld that meets one is knocked aside, so wait for a clear way down.
13. Build the level’s number of floors to finish its tower.

What it trains

• A game of timing and nerve: watch the swing, wait for the moment, and let go.
• Thirty towers in six chapters, each bringing something new: wind, a rolling cart, slippery jade, lucky red ribbons, kites and a narrow stool.
• A slip costs one meld and a golden pung gives one back, and on the first tower slips are free.
• A tune the tiles play along to, with a switch for the music and another for the sound effects.