Dynasty matches your Shanghai skills against one to four opponents. (Your opponents can be computerized or human.) To play against real people over the Internet (Windows 95 only), see Playing the Multiplayer Games Online. In Dynasty, the goal is to be the first to clear your layout. The game is played according to normal Shanghai rules - remove pairs of tiles which match, and which are free to slide left or right. Each player has his own 72-tile layout. At the beginning of a Dynasty game, all players' layouts are identical, with an identical arrangement of tiles - no player has an advantage. The first player to clear the layout is declared the winner of the round.

You can only click on tiles in your own layout - you cannot click on tiles in opponents' layouts. Your layout is always the one on the left. When you play against one opponent, the opponent's layout and tiles (on the right side of the screen) are as large as yours - but when you play against multiple opponents, your opponents' layouts and tiles are half the size of yours (and you can't see tile designs on half-sized tiles).

If you get "stuck" in Dynasty with no Power Tiles (the Power Tiles option is turned off), a dialog appears telling you you have "No More Moves" and that you are out of the game. When playing against A.I. opponents, the dialog box will tell you that the game is over (the game assumes that you don't care which A.I. opponent wins). To play again, press OK. When playing against human opponents or a combination of both A.I. and human players, when you get stuck and have no more moves available, a dialog box appears, asking you if you want to wait until the game is finished or quit. If playing with Power Tiles, you might get stuck only for a short time, as another opponent's Power Tiles might change your layout (which would allow you to move again). For more explanation on Power Tiles, see below.

Dynasty is scored as follows: The first player to clear his layout wins. The player is awarded one point for each tile remaining on all opponent layouts. The first player to win two rounds wins the game.

At any time during a Dynasty game, you can change your tile set or your preferences without affecting the game in progress. Most of the Help menu options (i.e., Show all moves, Suggest a Move) are not available in Dynasty.

Power Tiles bring even more fun to the game of Dynasty. They can either help you gain an edge on your opponents, or do nasty things to them and slow them down. To play with Power Tiles, select the Power Tiles option in the dialog box that appears when you select Dynasty from the Games menu. The Power Tiles look like Jokers. The number of Power Tiles is the same in all the players' layouts, but their powers may be different. When a pair of Joker tiles is matched, one of these seven Powers (selected randomly) is unleashed upon the game.

- Shuffle - When this Power is activated, your opponents' remaining tiles are shuffled within the layout. Your opponents will have to adjust their strategies!
- Scramble - When this Power is activated, your opponents' remaining tiles are not only shuffled, but they are also reorganized into a different structure.
- Back Three Pairs - When this Power is activated, three pairs (six tiles) which had been removed from your opponents' layouts are put back - your opponents will have to play those moves over again!
- Show All Moves - When this Power is activated, all available matches on your layout are highlighted for you. Take a quick moment to memorize their location, then start removing them!
- Take Three Pairs - When this Power is activated, three pairs of tiles are automatically removed from your layout, giving you a jump on the competition!
- Face Down - When this Power is activated, all your opponents' tiles are turned face down for a limited period of time (a gauge indicates how much time is remaining for this Power). A player whose tiles are turned face down must play contemplation-style by clicking on tiles, turning them temporarily face up, and trying to remember where matching tiles lie.
- Reverse - When this Power is activated, all your opponents' mouse controls are reversed (up becomes down, left becomes right, etc.) for a limited period of time (a gauge indicates how much time is remaining for this Power). This Power is effective when used against a human player, but the A.I. adjusts easily to this Power.

With the addition of Power Tiles, if you get stuck during a game of Dynasty, you are not necessarily out of the game! An opponent might get a Power which would let you continue playing by changing your tiles around: your tiles might get shuffled and/or scrambled in a different order, or you might get three pairs back that may allow you to rethink your strategy.

- From the Title Screen: Click on Shanghai. When the layout appears on the screen, go to the Games Menu in the Menu bar, and select Dynasty.



- When you select Dynasty from the Games menu, a dialog box appears on screen where you can select one to four Artificial Intelligence ("A.I.") opponents - simply check as many as you want.
- You can also change the difficulty setting for each opponent.
- Also in this dialog box you can decide whether you want to play Dynasty with Power Tiles or not by clicking on the box. When you're playing, the area at the bottom of your layout will give you Power Tile information.
- When you've finished making your selections, click OK to begin playing Dynasty.
- Most of the Help menu options are not available in Dynasty.
- To Play Dynasty against people (over the Internet, LAN, or via modem) see Playing the Multiplayer Games Online.
- When a Player finishes his layout, the game stops and a dialog box will ask you if you want to continue playing. (A complete game is won when a player wins two rounds.)
- To change the current Dynasty settings, go to the Games menu and click on Dynasty. This will bring up the Dynasty dialog box. If you want to return to the current game, click Cancel. To reset game settings to their default ("factory") settings, go to the Preferences menu and click on Reset to Default.

- Concentrate on removing pairs that will unblock the most tiles.
- Plan ahead as many moves as you can.
- If all four of a tile are available, remove them all to unclutter the field.
- Identify as many matching pairs as possible. Check for tiles that need to be unblocked.
- If there are three matching free tiles, choose carefully, and leave the one that's blocking the least important tiles.
- You might consider turning the animations off (go to the Preferences menu and click on Tile Animations to remove the check mark and de-select).
- If you are playing with Power Tiles, use them as early as possible, to take full advantage of their "power." Watch the area at the bottom of the screen for information on Power Tiles.
- Pay attention to the layout and placement of the tiles in case a Power Tile sent by another player turns your tiles Face Down.