Uno: The Classic Card Game

In our house we love to play games: video games, card games, board games, strategy games, and any kind of "fun in a box" that lets us spend time together testing our skills or just having fun. "Uno" is a classic among these. It takes a bit of strategy and it's a lot of fun!

"Uno" was first released in 1971 (geez, it's older than me!) and has gone through many incarnations. (There are dozens of themed decks, from Curious George to X-Men). We have three different decks at our house: an older inherited deck, a newer beach themed deck (it came with a FREE beach ball!), and a mini deck. For this review I will look at the classic deck (which is still available for under ten dollars).

The classic "Uno" comes in a red box with yellow lettering. The box is just big enough for the double deck inside. "Uno" is intended for 2 to 10 players aged 7 and up. I can't imagine playing with more than four or so. Three of us have taken over an hour, maybe closer to two hours, to play at times! So ten? Bring a sleeping bag!

"Uno" is a wild and unpredictable card game. The goal is to get rid of all your cards. When you get down to one card you MUST say "Uno" (thus the name) or draw more cards. (You have to say it fast at our house or my daughter will catch you!) All the cards have a color and number (or a direction such as "skip" or "reverse" which keep play order switching). You can lay a card down if it matches the color or the number (or direction) There are also wild cards that let you change the color in play. (Some cards also force the next player to draw more cards.) Sounds easy, right? Well, the challenge comes when you get down to the last few cards in your hand, or have run out of a certain color. If you can't play you have to draw. And draw. And draw. And draw. It is not unusual to end up with 30 or more cards (of the 108 in the deck) in your hand. According to the rules, when someone has gone out they get points for the cards left in opponents' hands. These are to be tallied till one player reaches 500 points. We have never played this way. That hour plus I mentioned was just one round. But it could make a fun tournament! There are other variations on the rules included. But these are the basics. Sometimes this game takes a LONG time to play. Sometimes it's very short. But it's always fun!

"Uno" has remained popular for a reason. It's easy to learn, easy to play, portable, and affordable. I highly recommend it for your game collection!

Have fun!