Feature: The 35th most popular Speccy game gets investigated. Peking, given to the world on the YS JAN 93 covertape, has been the most played game on my Spectrum over the last 18 months. My friends often beg me to load it for them. The basic gameplay is actually very simple; matching up pairs of tiles so removing them from the screen. Tiles however must be 'free' to be matched, i.e. not underneath another or surrounded both left and right.
It's simply one of those games that grips you like a vice and doesn't let go. However, even YS were duped into the popular misconception that Peking is an ancient Chinese board game. Peking itself is loosely based on Mah-Jongg, a game for 4 players, having more in common with Bridge and rummy. Mah-Jongg was introduced to the USA and Europe in the 1920's by Joseph Babcock, an enterprising oil company rep.
Great claims were made of the history of Mah-jongg; played by the Chinese aristocracy and even Confucius! The mystery of the Orient was an advertising man's dream. The bare facts would suggest otherwise. No sets have been found to pre-date the 1880's and there is absolutely no mention of the game or anything resembling it, in the annals of Chinese literary history. The rules were simplified by Babcock for the American mentality and the game enjoyed a period of success but eventually fell out of favour for being 'too simple'!
The Peking version (also known as Shanghai on the Sega) is perhaps the simplest version of all although it shouldn't really be compared to the original game. Oh, and I've done it in 6 minutes 20 seconds... anyone faster? (DAVE)
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