Go fish! (Favourite Party Games in general)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	Favourite Party Games in general
Date:	24/11/04 (80 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, Easy to play, Ideal for all ages

Disadvantages: None

~Introduction~

This is now my second review of a card game in a week, but I do have an awful lot of free time to waste playing games at school. As I said in my previous review, I am very keen on card games and I find them immensely enjoyable and they are sometimes a great occasion, coupled with a fun but sometimes serious atmosphere. I hope that from reading this review, you will be able to understand the rules of the game and in the context that it is, and also should, be played.


~Overview~

The name of this game is go fish, not to be confused with the highly popular activity of angling. Oh and by the way fishing is not a sport, it’s a pastime! Anyway, back to the game. The ideal number of players for Go Fish, in my experience, is around four or five. It is suitable for two players and I would say that the upper limit is six participants. The game is very much suited to those with a good memory and also those who are tactically aware. It does also help to be able to keep a straight face. The games tend to last around ten minutes, but it depends how quickly people play.


~Mini History~

The game, when it was first played, used cards with famous authors printed on them. This was first played over in America and was then played in the United Kingdom and in other parts of the world. The game today, revolves around collecting ‘books’ of cards in order to win the game. The game Go Fish is also closely related to the following card games: Authors, Happy Families and Quartet. These are all very similar to Go Fish but have a few variants.


~The Game~

The deck of cards is shuffled and then each player is dealt seven cards each, with the remainder of the pack being placed in the centre of the table. The aim of the game for each individual, is to acquire as many sets or books of cards as possible. That means for example that they need to get all of the Kings or all of the fours to complete a book. There are a total of thirteen books and the player with the most at the end of the game is declared the winner.


The player sitting to the left hand side of the dealer makes the first move and I shall call that person, player X. Player X can ask any player on the table, for a particular card(s), but it must be one that they already have in their hand. Player X has the following hand: 2 x Aces, 2 x threes, 1 x four, 1 x seven and 1 x ten. They can only ask for one of the above cards. If the player that they ask has a card that player X asks for, say an Ace, then the card is handed over and player X takes another turn. Player X can ask for another ace or any other card in their hand. If player X asks somebody for a seven and they don’t have one, they must say ‘Go Fish’. Player X must then draw a card from the deck. If they pick up a seven, the turn continues but if not the play moves left to player Y.


The game then continues in the same manor. The pile of cards in the centre of the table will eventually disappear so if a player asks for a card incorrectly the turn just moves round one player to the left. The player that has the most books or sets once all of the cards have gone is then the winner.


~Variations~

As is the way with most card games, there are different variations of the rules and the play in general. There is one set of rules that sets out that the players have to ask for a specific card such as the seven of diamonds or the four of hearts. This makes the game a lot more difficult, more fun in a different sort of way and also last for a lot longer. There is another form of the game which says that all of the cards should be dealt out as evenly as possible between the players, leaving no cards in the middle. This is good in its way, but the game does tend to be over very quickly as the chances of asking for the card that you want are slashed in the ‘askers’ favour.


~Conclusion~

This is a very fun game that passes the day very nicely. It is really simple and anybody can pick it up very quickly. It is important that you can keep a straight face and also that you have a good memory as to where some of the cards that you may need, are located. This is ideal for playing with family or friends and it is very light hearted and completely non-serious. This isn’t the sort of game that is likely to cause too many arguments at Christmas, unless you get people cheating by looking at other people’s hands. That does happen quite often at school which can ruin the game sometimes.


~Go Fish Online~

This game can be played on yahoo! games at www.yahoo.com. When the page loads up, click on the games tab in the centre. Then click on Go Fish in the card games section. If you are not a member of yahoo! games, then you will have to register but this is fairly simple and straightforward. The version on yahoo! is with two players, the other player being somebody else from around the world. The version that yahoo! has, is for two players who start with seven cards each and the rest of the deck are in the middle.

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