Uno

Uno (1971) is a sequencing game where you race to get rid of your cards. You play by adding cards of the same number or colour to a shared pile. It's fast-paced, has simple rules and has almost universal appeal. The fun really starts when you invent your own house rules to add some nuance and spice to proceedings.

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You play by playing cards onto a shared pile, matching either numbers, symbols or colours to what has just been played. If you can't go, then you either play a Wild card or have to draw another card to add your hand. The Wild cards can change the colour making the next person draw two or four cards.

As you play, your hand of cards gets smaller and smaller until you only have one card left. At this point, you have to say Uno before someone catches you or you have to take an extra card as punishment. The first player to discard all of their cards is the winner.

What starts as a simple matching game, quickly becomes a frantic dog-eat-dog race to the end, where you have to get rid of all your cards whilst trying your best to stop all your opponents from doing the same. It is the simplicity of play that makes this game so enjoyable. Everybody can easily understand the rules and as soon as they do you can begin to invent your own family rules, leading to all manner of silliness and fun. (Like one family who has a rule where you can jump in out of turn if you have a card that exactly matches the one just played and you can play with two decks if you want.)

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Our examiner, Rob Prior, first checked Uno 22 months ago. It was re-examined by Rich Adams and updated 9 months ago.