Word Jong Review

Word Jong is a challenging and strategic word game that expands upon the tile game of Mahjong, in a word forming way. Each tile in the game has both a letter and a point value on it. You must click tiles to form words. Similar to Mahjong the layout differs level to level and only a handful of tiles are available for your use. Be creative and work to spell larger words to have success in this thought provoking game.

Various Game Modes

This game offers three game modes, including a really fun and competitive versus mode. The first mode, Link, is single player and has you playing against yourself. In Link you click on available Mahjong tiles to spell words. After spelling a word, your next word reuses the last letter from the previous word. For example, if “Cats” is your first word, your next word must start with an S. As you spell in Link mode a turtle advances across the water. The longer the words the farther the turtle moves. As the turtle swims in the water it collects butterflies, which earn you wild tiles (tiles that can be used for any letter), and it capture coins that boost your score. To win this game you must clear all the game tiles.

The second mode, Classic, is similar to Link. In this mode you spell words with the available tiles just like before. However this time, rather than move a turtle, different rewards are earned by spelling words of certain lengths. Initially a four-letter word might earn you a bonus. However, after spelling a few of these, the bonus advances to five or six-letter words. Again like in Link, Classic mode is won when all the tiles are used. 16 different lay-outs are available in both of these game styles.

Compete Against the Computer But Not Other People

Versus mode differs from the other two modes and is more competitive. In this you compete against computer players that increase in difficulty as you advance. Versus is similar to Scrabble, while maintaining the essence of Mahjong. In this you take turns with your competitor spelling words and removing tiles. Scoring is similar to the other modes. The more advanced your words are in both length and types of letters you use, the more points you receive. A pass button also exists in this mode which allows you to give up your turn if you are unable to figure out a letter. Passes are rewarded with a bonus point, so passing too often can be detrimental to your score. At the end of three rounds the competitor with the higher score wins. If you win you are rewarded with golden dragon coins that can be used to unlock new challengers.

Though versus mode is a lot of fun as is, an option to play different people online, or to play friends over a LAN connection would improve Word Jong immensely. Competing against the computer solely is fine, however, being able to test your skills against other competitors on the World Wide Web would open this game, making it less limiting.

Conclusion - Great Blend of Mahjong and Word Games

Overall, Word Jong's mahjong and word style of play makes this game super catchy. The versus mode is more than entertaining despite not having a multiplayer or online capabilities. This game is for anyone looking to improve their vocabulary, or for anyone interested in mahjong or word games. Be prepared to play for hours and hours because this game has strong addictive qualities. If you are interested in a fun and catchy word game, give this a try.