^C^I*                           About the game                         *


     TILES OF THE DRAGON is based upon the classic board game called 
     Mah Jongg, the national game of China.

     Mah Jongg, also called the Chinese Game of Four Winds, originated 
     around the 12th century B.C., utilizing about 40 tiles which were 
     engraved with the symbols of the Chinese army. During the 17th 
     century, the number of tiles increased to 108, picturing 108 
     Brigands from a famous novel of the day.  The tile set eventually 
     grew to 160 tiles with many Bonus tiles and Flower tiles. Later, 
     the number of tiles was cut back to 144 to make the game more 
     interesting and rules were established.  The set has remained the 
     same until this day.
     

^C^I*                        Getting started                           *



Starting this game is as simple as typing the following at the DOS prompt:


START followed by the [ENTER] key.



   If you need further help, 
   call our Technical Support group at 1-318-221-8311.

^C^I*                      Summary of how to play                      *


^C^1In a nutshell...


*  The play area contains 144 illustrated tiles.  The meaning of
   the tiles will be explained in a moment.
  
*  Your objective is to remove as many of the tiles as possible.
   The method of tile removal will be explained in a moment.

*  You can play in "Solitary" practice mode, or, you can play
   in "Tournament" mode where your score and time are recorded
   to compete against in future games.  Both modes play the same.



^C^1The Tiles


There are a total of 144 tiles.  At the top of the play screen the current number of tiles remaining on the board is constantly displayed.


There are 2 different tile sets you can choose to play with, according to your own preference and taste.  The startup tile set is the "traditional" set, covered with Chinese characters and images.  
The alternate set (selected by pressing the F10 key) is illustrated with pictures of various types.  Game play is conducted exactly the same for both sets.  It's your choice.


There are 3 categories of tiles, each with an assortment of tiles.

^C^1Category 1:  Suits
There are 3 suits -- Dots, Craks, and Bams -- each suit containing 9 numbered tiles.  There are 4 sets of each of these, thus 36 tiles per suit, 108 in total.
It really doesn't matter what you call them, as long as you can recognize the numbered tiles and be able to match them with others of the exact same number and type.

^C^1Category 2:  Honors
There are 2 types --   Winds and Dragons
There are 4 Winds --   North, South, East, & West -- 4 of each, 16 total.
There are 3 Dragons -- Red, Green, and White -- 4 of each, 12 total.
The Honors tiles are not numbered.

^C^1Category 3:  Seasons and Flowers
There are 4 Seasons -- Summer, Autumn, Winter, & Spring -- 1 of each.
There are 4 Flowers -- Orchid, Mum, Bamboo, & Plum -- only 1 of each.
Seasons and Flowers are not numbered.
   
^C^1Removing tiles from the board


The object of play is to remove as many tiles from the board as possible.  
If playing Solitary, there is no time limit, and you remove tiles until either they are all gone or you have no more possible matches left to remove.
If playing Tournament, there will be a pre-established time limit per game, but is otherwise played the same as Solitary.

Tiles are removed 2 at a time, matched tiles only, and, an eligible tile MUST have no other tile on top of it or touching it on at least one side... it must be open on either its left or right side.  

What constitutes legal matches are as follows:
Any one Season matches any other Season.
Any one Flower matches any other Flower.
Winds and Dragons must be matched with their exact counterparts.
The number Suits must be matched with their exact counterparts, including the number.
   

^C^1Controlling Play


MOUSE USERS:

Use your mouse to point at the tile you wish to remove.  Click the mouse button to highlight it.  Do the same for the second, matching tile.  When both are selected click on either one of them a second time to remove them. 


KEYBOARD USERS:

Use the arrow keys to move the highlight box around the tiles.  Press the SPACE key to highlight the tile you wish to remove.  Do the same for the second, matching tile.  When both are selected press SPACE again to remove them.



Oher Keyboard Commands


F1      Help
F2      Hint (press repeatedly to show all possible matches)
F3      Undo last move
F4      Redo the move made before an Undo (i.e. undo the undo)
F5      End the game in progress
F6      Load the saved game
F7      Save the current game in progress
F8      Sound on/off (press repeatedly to see options)
F9      Board graphics (choose between 4 styles)
F10     Tile graphics (alternate between 2 styles)
ESC     Quit altogether



^C^1Hints


*  The key tiles to remove early on are the ones on the far right center and far left center that are blocking 2 rows of tiles.  Also, remove the topmost tile in the center as soon as possible.


*  If there is more than one choice for matching tiles, look to see which pair will free the most or more important tiles afterwards.



