Younger fans fall into the mouse trap

Mahjong still attracts younger players. But whereas the 'twittering of sparrows' used to come from tiles, it's now made by a different sound: the click of a computer mouse.

About 3,000 Hongkongers play on Yahoo's free mahjong site, with many more playing in Europe, North America and elsewhere in Asia.

Another popular site, based in Singapore, is Johnny Ho's TUMJ Mahjong. Ho, who claims he set up the world's first online mahjong site, says there are sometimes eight tables active during peak hours, from 10pm to 12am. 'TUMJ started with more than 30 players and has since grown to about 400 registered members,' says Ho.

However, online tables aren't the only source of computer play. There are also video games. One of the most popular is Hong Kong Mahjong for Windows, which can be ordered online and comes by CD-Rom. The game's inventor, J.R. Fitch, says many people were sceptical about his idea.

'Many Hong Kong people thought it was odd,' Fitch says. 'Why play on a computer when there are always family and neighbours willing to play? But I knew mahjong was a great choice for a casual computer game. You don't need to round up three other players who are willing to stay up all night.'

Since launching the game, he has sold about 100,000 copies and has since retired from his job at AT&T.