Uno card game

by Amanda Nettgen
(USA)

Game:
Uno
Card game manufacturer:
Mattel
Number of players:
2-10
Ages:
7+

Quick verdict

The UNO card game is the classic that requires its own special deck to play. It comes in many themed versions and is addictive to play again and again.

The game and gameplay

Uno is pretty easy to play. Because it is a card game, all you need to do to set up are shuffle the cards and form DRAW and DISCARD piles.

Hand out seven cards to each player, with the person to the left of the decided dealer going first.

The starting player takes a glance at the only card making up the DISCARD pile currently. Can he match what it is, either by color, number, or Wild?

If not, he must add another card to his hand (again and again if you choose to play that way), putting down what he got if it happens to be appropriate.

Play proceeds around the table, which each person taking one turn to try and lay down a corresponding card. Whenever someone’s whittled their way to having only one card left, they must say, "UNO!" or risk being caught by their fellow participants and drawing two cards as a penalty.

Now, the Uno card game would be kind of boring if all you had were colors and numbers to match. It’s the game’s special cards that really mix things up. Their listing is as follows: Draw Two, Reverse, Skip, Wild and Wild Draw Four.

With Draw Two, the person after you not only loses their turn but undoes some of his card-ridding progress by having to collect dos cards (hey, it’s called Uno) from the DRAW pile. Reverse changes the direction of play, from clockwise to counterclockwise and back again (it’s pointless if you’re playing with only one other person, so use it like a Skip instead).

As for Skip, you do just that to the next contender’s turn. Wilds can substitute for any color and Wild Draw Four not only molds to your card’s desire, but packs a punch by mandating that the next player must collect four Uno cards AND get his turn stolen.

You’re supposed to only use a Wild Draw Four when you have no other options, but really, who’s going to risk challenging you if they’re wrong and have to draw an extra two cards?

Once a player has successfully gone out, the winner tallies the remaining participants’ cards according to this scale: face cards are worth their weight in display; the special cards of Draw Two, Reverse, and Skip all equal 20 points, and both Wilds will score the round winner 50 a pop.

The first player to accumulate 500 points reigns supreme and is the Uno champ.

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Pros and cons

Uno is a great game that’s basic enough for kids to play alongside adults and is enjoyable, too. It’s a fabulous choice for travel, and you can find players who have posted their personal variations of the game online.

There aren’t too many complaints about Uno, except you have to realize it’s mostly a game of luck.

I think that’s the attraction, though, to have a lot of unpredictably along with the flurry of colors.

The verdict

Uno is a good time-filler that’s compact enough to keep around and pull out to play at random. It’s suitable for language barriers and educational purposes in addition to being just plain fun for everyone.