Mah Jong is one of the oldest games around. This is basically a 'rummy' game with a twist: You get to see all of the discards and claim them if you have a pair of them. The problem is that the game is hard to figure out. Most of the rulebooks that come with Mah Jong Sets are crappy. Get the Mah Jong Handbook. Also, stay with Chinese Version. The American version is too complex with all of the scoring hands. Once you figure out to play, the mechanics are quite easy. It's easier to have someone show you how to play than try to figure it out from a book.