TabletopWars.com | Board Games, Card Games, Dice Games, Miniature Games, RPG, and More in the Philippines - UNO Stacko -- Reviewing my Daughter's Favorite Games (No. 6)

UNO Stacko is a game designed (or should I say re-designed) by Jim Keifer and published by Mattel in 1994. It is a dexterity game that plays anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. Obviously, it goes without saying that this is part of the UNO family of games.

I'll be doing something slightly different in this series of reviews, as instead of writing on how it compares to similar games in its genre, I'll replace that section with my five year-old daughter's thoughts on why she likes a certain game (paraphrased of course). It'll be written in a short Q & A style.

COMPONENTS:
The edition I'm reviewing is the first edition which comes with a dice, so what I say might not match-up if you have the later edition(s).

The game comes with a sturdy action dice (and it is very sturdy as I have had this game for more than ten years) and a bunch of rectangular plastic blocks that come in different colors and has numbers printed on each end.

Picture Submitted By: indigopotter || Taken From the BGG Database

The game also comes with a short rulebook that's well written and after one read you should pretty much be able to play the game without having any further questions or misconceptions.

GAMEPLAY:
If you've played Jenga before, then you more or less know how to play UNO Stacko. If you haven't... then this is what you need to know in order to play.

To setup the game, you stack the plastic blocks on top of each other using three blocks per level and criss-crossing them per level you build. You basically end up with a structure similar to the one pictured above. After that, you're set. You randomly determine who goes first and game on!

On a player's turn, he/she rolls a dice which determines what color and number he/she must draw from the stack. He/she then proceeds to remove that color from whatever level from the stack he/she may choose (except for the top three levels). The newly removed piece is then placed on top of the stack. Play moves clockwise to the next player.

Picture Taken By: Rob Masters || Taken From the BGG Database

The goal of the game is to keep the stack/tower up for as long as possible. Whoever makes the stack fall (intentionally or unintentionally) forces game end, and the player to his/her right wins the game (pictured above).

Q & A W/ MY DAUGHTER:
Q: Why do you like this game Kashieu (pronounced cashew)?
A: I like to build up the tower and I specially like how high it can get during some games.

Q: What do you think of the components?
A: You know I love colorful things daddy! *giggles*

Q: Did you find it hard to understand how to play the game?
A: No, it was pretty easy. Its easy to understand but harder to play.

Q: Harder to play?
A: The blocks often fall before I can get the tower to as high as I want it to be daddy!

FINAL THOUGHTS:
UNO Stacko is a nice alternative to Jenga that should appeal more to the younger crowd partly due to the vibrant colors used in the game. While the dice tends to limit one's choices occasionally, I myself see this as a positive when it comes to children. I also like the extra actions that seem to be a given when it comes to the UNO family of games.

Negatives? Well, I personally prefer the heft and feel of the wooden blocks in Jenga... but that's about it. The dexterity required for both games is the same.

So the next time you and your child are on the lookout for a nice dexterity game, why not give UNO Stacko a try? Is it a blatant rip-off of Jenga? Yes. Is it fun? Definitely.