by Sarah Terzo

Created on: November 29, 2008   Last Updated: October 01, 2010

Uno is number Uno!

Pros: Easy to learn, cheap to buy, fun, good for all ages

Cons: Can be addictive!

When I was a kid, my friend next-door introduced me to this game. We were about eight. It was fun and easy to play, and we played it A LOT. Mostly it was just her and me, but we sometimes allowed my little sister to play. She was only five, but she soon caught on to the rules. I eventually begged my mom to get me a set of cards. I'm sure she was happy to buy me the game. Unlike most of the toys I wanted (Transformer robots, elaborate board games, fancy dolls with many accessories) the cards were inexpensive. They still are. I found a set in the dollar store a few weeks ago.

The game is easy to play, and most people over the age of six or so will quickly learn the rules. Children that young or younger may need a little help remembering all the rules, but with a little encouragement from adults or older children they will soon be playing it just fine.

The dealer hands out seven cards to each player. He/she then places the remaining cards face down on the table and turns the top card face up starting another pile. The pile that is face down is the draw pile (where you pick up the cards) and the face up pile is the discard pile (where you put down the cards) Players take turns going around in a circle placing down one card at a time onto the discard pile. The cards are split up into three different types:

numbered cards- which have a color and a number

action which give an instruction to the next player

wilds - which allow the person who plays them to change the color of the pile. There is an ordinary wild and a "draw four" wild which, if played, causes the next player to draw 4 cards.

The number cards range from 0 to 9. Action cards have a "skip", "reverse" or "draw two" on them. If you play a skip card, the player next to you misses his or her turn and the person after that plays. A reverse switches the direction of turn movement. A player can only play if he or she has a card of either the same color or number/action of the top card of the discard pile. Wild cards may be played at anytime. If a player cannot play a card, then he or she must draw cards until they get a card that they can play. When the draw pile runs out, players shuffle the discard pile (leaving out the top card so they all remember which color/number the pile is on) When a player only has 1 card in their hand, they must say "Uno". If another player catches on to the fact that they didn't say "Uno", then the player with one card must draw 4 cards from the draw pile as punishment. A player wins when they are the first person to run out of cards in their hand.

It is much more complicated to explain than to actually play. Once you start the game, it is easy to catch on.

I still remember this game from my childhood and how much I enjoyed it, how often I got my mom to play with me when no one else was around (I think she enjoyed it too) and now I play it with my Grandma whenever I see her. The fact that the game can appeal to a child (like I was) a 33 year old (me now) and an 81 year old grandmother shows how fun it is.

A lot of kids nowadays love their video game systems with all the fancy graphics and so many expensive toys, but sometimes the simple things are the best. The cards are light and portable and can be taken anywhere such as on vacation, and that adds to their appeal; they are not as unwieldy as board games with boards. Like any card game, the cards can get worn out, but it is simple and cheap to pick up another set. I mean, how can you beat a dollar? You can have a lot of fun very inexpensively with this game.

This review originally appeared at Epinions. Http://www.epinions.com

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