EXTREMEly entertaining UNO (Uno Extreme)

Member Name: Meggysmum

Product:	Uno Extreme
Date:	09/06/09 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to play with an element of anticipation.

Disadvantages: Looks gawdy!

As a family we have played the traditional Uno card game for years. A couple of Christmas's ago my son who was 9 at the time put Uno Extreme on his Christmas list. I couldn't see the point of buying this as I thought the ordinary game was good enough. His Christmas list however was shown to various family members as usual.

Father Christmas kindly left my son this much wanted game on Christmas morning and was also on the ball enough to leave 3xC batteries as well (he is a clever fellow isn't he?). That afternoon the batteries were put in the bottom compartment which was easy and opened with a screwdriver so little fingers couldn't mess with them. The game is presented with a pack of cards and a red and purple plastic machine with a button on the front. The playing cards are stored inside when not playing and there is an on/off switch on the bottom so very easy to store in a cupboard and the batteries won't run down.

I was in charge of reading the instructions and the game play was very straightforward. The whole idea is to get rid of all your cards first. This is done by putting them one at a time on a pile by matching numbers, colours or occasionally symbols. The basic play is much the same as the original although I must say I don't think the cards are as colourful or as distinctive.

It is the differences to the original game that add to the fun. There are a couple of new cards:
Swap Hands- you are able to swap your hand with another player, not always a good thing!
Discard All- allows you to get rid of all cards of a particular colour.
Press Cards- allow you to use THE BUTTON!

The Button is located on the front of the machine and gives a clear "ping" when it is pressed hard enough- very useful when someone is trying to cheat! The button is pressed if you can't go or if someone ahead of you has put down one of the special "press" cards. Sometimes no cards are dispensed from the machine (and you smile), sometimes there will be one or two (and you sigh) but sometimes 8 extra cards come winging their way to you (no tears now- you have to be a good sport!). I thought this would cause upset from the children but they liked the anticipation of seeing how many came out and never seemed to mind.

This has endured now for a couple of years. It is suitable for any age from about 7 years and can be played by 2-10 players. We are still on our first set of batteries which I find amazing as it comes out of the cupboard pretty often. The machine still looks quite new and has stood up to wear and tear really well. I think the game has stayed popular with the whole family as although there is skill involved in how you play your hand there is enough element of chance to allow the children to play against adults competitively.

The product now sells at £16.29 in Argos and after my initial reservations I think it is an excellent game and have bought it for other people. The main benefit over the original game (which we usually play when travelling) is the element of chance which seems to reduce sibling arguments! Great fun.

Summary: Great family fun.