Uno! (Uno)

Member Name: salem_witch

Product:	Uno
Date:	19/11/06 (1317 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great fun family game

Disadvantages: None

Recently I've been playing a lot of games and after exhausting several card games and getting bored with them I realised I had a pack of Uno cards still sealed from last year. I'd bought a new pack for holiday after having played the game as a child and remembering how much fun we used to have playing it. The cards went all that way and got forgotten about in the bottom of my suitcase though. So until recently it was shoved in a corner in my room. I'm so glad that I opened it though as it's given us hours of fun.

So what is Uno?

Uno is a simple card game, which can be played by all members of the family. The rules are easy to pick up and it only takes a couple of games to grasp the rules. Uno states that those aged 7 and above should be able to play this game. I would have first played it when I was around 10 and I never had any trouble with the rules. What I like is you can play with as few as 2 players or even up to 10 people. I've played mostly with one other person or two people and the games can vary length all depending on what cards are dealt and also on depending on how skilful the players are at knowing which cards to play first.

The pack consists of 108 cards, which consist of 4 suits: red, yellow, blue and green cards. The majority of the coloured cards are numbered from 0-9. There are also action cards, some of which are coloured. These are the Draw Two Card, Reverse Card and Skip Card. There are also 8 Wild Cards in the pack: 4 Wild Draw Four Cards and 4 Wild Cards.

The cards

These can only be placed on matching cards (so a Skip Card can be placed on a different coloured Skip Card) or on a card the same colour. So a yellow Skip Card can be placed on a yellow 5 and then a green Skip Card could then be placed. The cards themselves are self-explanatory. A Draw Two Card means that the next person has to pick 2 cards up, the Skip Card means the next person misses a go and the Reverse Card means the direction of play is reversed.

The Wild Cards the player can chose which colour they want to change to. The Wild Card can be played at any time the player wishes. This is the best card to have for this very reason. The Wild Draw Four Card can only be played when the player doesn't have the colour of the last card played. If you want you can bluff and play regardless but if you're caught then you have to pick up 6 cards instead of 4. However, if someone calls your bluff and you didn't have the coloured card then they will have to pick the 6 cards up instead of the player who's turn it would have been. If the Wild Draw Four Card is played and no one challenges the person who put it down then the person whose turn it is next has to pick up 4 cards.

Aim of game

The aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards. You get points for the cards left in your opponent's hand. The winner of the game is the first person to reach 500 points. This can take a long time if all the players are clever enough.

How to play

Each player is dealt with 7 cards and then the remaining pack is put face down. One card is turned over to start play. Play starts in clockwise direction to begin with unless a Reverse Card is played. If one of the action cards is played at the start of the game then that needs to be followed. This applies to all of them expect the Wild Draw Four Card. If this is drawn then it is returned to the pack and another card is drawn. If the Wild Card is drawn then the dealer picks the colour. Players then take it in turn to place a card on the pile. If none of the players cards can be played then they have to take one of the cards from the stack of cards.

The idea is to get rid of your cards so knowing which cards to play first is important. When you put your second from last card down you need to say "Uno". Once a player has one the round the remaining players cards are added up and that is the winners score. All the number cards are worth the face value, the action cards (Reverse Cards, Skip Cards and Draw Two Cards) are worth 20 points and the Wild Cards are all worth 50 points. So as you can see making sure you're not caught with the Wild Cards in your hand is imperative. Plus when you're playing the coloured cards its best to play the highest cards first. So if the play is yellow and you have a 0, 1 and a 9 then playing the 9 first is best. This is unless you are changing the colour of play though.

This doesn't sound that fun but when you're trying to get rid of your hand it can become amusing when a player has one card left and then they have to pick 4 cards up. The game can go from one player almost winning to having a handful of cards. Each game can be different and depending on the cards it can all be over quickly or it can go on and on.

Penalties

Adding to the fun are the penalties. If a player forgets to say "Uno" and they get caught before they play their last card then they have to pick 2 cards up. So saying "Uno" is important because if you get caught for not saying it then you could end up losing the game if you have to pick the extra cards up. As mentioned earlier there are also penalties if you're caught playing the Wild Draw Four Card when you do have a card that can be played. This can be fun though as sometimes other players are unable to work out what colour suit you may or may not have. When I play my Mum she never can guess so I usually play the Wild Draw Four Card whenever I like and she never says a word. My Dad is very aware though so I can't fool him so easily. Of course, if you are playing with young children then you may chose to ignore this rule. An additional rule is that if you play a card, which isn't allowed, and you are caught then you'll have to pick your card back up and then take 2 cards from the pile.

My Experience

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review I played this as a child with my family and loved it. Now as an adult and playing with other adults it is equally as fun. What I like about it is each game can be so different and each round can be of varying length. I've played rounds, which have been over within a minute and others that have gone on for 10 minutes or so. It is a highly addictive game and can be played for on hours at end without getting bored. If something happens to interrupt play (like the phone ringing) the game can be left and easily come back to. When playing and we've only had a certain amount of time then we've stopped for a while and then gone back to it later. So it is very easy to dip in and out of which in my opinion is a plus.

You do need to think a little for this game though if you want to try to win. It is strategic and when I've played other like-minded players the game is more fun as it creates twists and turns. So if one player has almost won and they have changed the colour to red with a Wild Card then their remaining card is highly likely to be red. So before it is their turn then if it's possible then it's best to change the colour or try to play a card which will mean they'll have to miss a go or pick up cards.

The only negative thing I can say about the game is it could mean holding lots of cards if things don't go so well! Having a problem with my hand at the moment has led to that meaning if I do end up losing badly I can only play for so long. Luckily I seem to do well most of the time though so this isn't an issue. This shouldn't be a problem for most people and one player picking up lots of cards is amusing for the other players anyway! Also the 6 and the 9 aren't all that clear so sometimes you find yourself having to double check which one it is. Having the 9 written as nine would make it so much easier but maybe Uno have done this so people slip up and then have to pick up because of the penalty.

Playing with just two players does mean that it is easier to win. If you have the Skip and Reverse Cards then you get another go straight away. Whereas if you're playing with say three players then it means the person who has been before you has there turn again. I'm mostly used to playing with just one other player so sometimes I forget this and then start trying to put down more Skip or Reverse Cards which can be amusing. This can also be good to do when you know a certain player doesn't have the colour in play and therefore forcing them to pick another card up. I do prefer playing with more people as it is less predictable and loads more fun.

This game would appeal to all ages. So if you have children that often get bored then I'd highly recommend this. Or you could want to play it with adults. There are several variations of the game as well. Uno Extreme is where the cards shoot out. This does look like fun but I'd imagine after the novelty had worn off it wouldn't be so fun. They also have Uno H2O cards which are waterproof so ideal for playing on holiday if you are on the beach or at the poolside (or maybe in the snow!) Several special packs have been made as well e.g. The Simpsons, The Care Bears and Family Guy.

Uno can be found fir a very reasonable price. Most toy shops will stock it and after looking online Woolworths and Toys R Us have it. Amazon stocks it for £4.99 and other retailers will be similar prices. If you want it even cheaper then look on places like eBay and Amazon Marketplace.

Summary: An easy, fun addictive game for all the family