by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: January 03, 2009   Last Updated: February 24, 2011

The card game Uno has been around since about 1971. The game quickly became an American favorite and has remained so ever since. The goal of the game is to empty your hands of cards and fill the hands of your competitors. It does sound quite simple, doesn't it? If you have ever played the game of Uno, you will already know that this can be a much harder task than it sounds.

A deck of Uno cards gives you four colors to work from. Those colors are red, green, blue and yellow. There are also the famous draw four cards, good if you get them in your hand, bad if your competition gets it in their hands. There is also the draw two card, the reverse card and even a wild card. These all play roles in how difficult the game can be to win.

The game can be played with single players battling it out with each other or in teams. The team game can be a lot of fun because you can gang up on one team member from the other team. After all, if one team member goes down they all do.

I am a great believer in families playing games together. It's a great time to have some fun and talk together. Uno presents just such an opportunity. It doesn't matter if you have two players or ten. The fun is all the same. A two player game will be a little less interesting because one person can put the other person out within minutes. It is still fun nonetheless.

Each card holds a value. You don't want the cards with the highest value in your hands when the other player goes out. It could be disastrous to the scoring which goes against you. If you get caught with only a 0 card then it all comes out even in the end. If you get caught with one or more draw four cards you are in for a total score disaster.

This game will create memories that last a lifetime. As I write this review of this awesome game of fun I remember back to the days when my step-brother would relentlessly slam me with draw fours and draw twos for fifteen minutes before he would finally put me out of my misery by dropping his last card into the pile on the table guffawing with evil laughter. I would never even get a chance to play. I can still see the smug grin on his face.

Uno teaches good sportsmanship . If you don't have that then you may as well not play the game. Uno also teaches strategy . It is imperative that you find a strategy in order to win the game. It also teaches us to be team players . Best of all, it teaches us to laugh at ourselves. This occurs most often when forgetting to shout out the infamous "Uno" and getting caught thus having to draw more cards.

If you really want to have a good time with your family or friends, dig up a deck of Uno cards, learn your colors and numbers and learn how to read the faces of your opponents. Uno gets a whopping 20 out of 10 score for all time great family fun. Get a deck today, you won't be sorry for the choice.

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