Shanghai Mini is a tile based puzzle game with a long and impressive lineage. Activision released the first Shanghai game in the 1980s, and gamers were instantly hooked. Since then, it's been released on a plethora of gaming platforms.The puzzles are made from Mahjongg tiles arranged in multi-layer formations, and players must clear the formation by matching tiles in pairs at a time. Tiles can only be matched with other identical tiles, and must also be free to slide out of the puzzle formation by either moving left or right. If the tile is locked in place it cannot be matched. Players who run out of legal moves before the tiles are completely cleared are deadlocked, and depending on the game mode may be able to shuffle the remaining tiles.
Shanghai Mini offers three modes for players to choose from. Classic Mode is the basic Shanghai game; players can match tiles with no time limits, and can reshuffle tiles when they run out of moves. Tournament Mode is a more competitive Classic Mode with a time limit. The third mode is the Versus Mode. Players can match up against each other or the computer in a head-on, tile-matching event. ~ Kyle Knight, All Game Guide