The basic idea is to get rid of all your cards by matching a card in your hand to the one that was played before you. You can match by colour or number, or you can play one of several special “Action” cards, which can have a disastrous effect on the next player’s turn and help you get ahead! Once you get down to one card, you have to shout “UNO” to warn the other players that the winning post is in your sight!

Action cards include:

‘Reverse’ – this reserves the direction of play until another Reverse card is played

‘Wild’ –Wild cards can be played after any other card colour

‘Skip’ – when this card is played, the next player is skipped, meaning he or she loses a turn.

You can also vary the rules you play with the Custom Rules option. Toggle various rules on and off to make the game more or less complicated as the mood takes you! For example, with the “Jump-In” rule, if you have exactly the same card as the top card on the discard pile, you can play it without having to wait for your turn! Another fun rule is “UNO 7-0” – using this rule means that every time a 0 is played, everyone has to give their entire hand of cards to the next player. If a 7 is played, meanwhile, that player must exchange cards with a player of their choice. Mix and match and see what sort of crazy games you can create!

When playing the WiiWare version, use the intuitive controls of the Wii Remote to select a card by pointing at the screen and push the A Button to confirm your choice. If someone forgets to call “UNO” when they only have one card left, you can challenge them with the B Button!

With the Nintendo DSiWare version, you can use the stylus to interact directly with the cards on the Touch Screen. Tap the cards to browse through them and double tap to play the card of your choice. If you prefer a more traditional approach, then you can also play through a combination of buttons and the +Control Pad.