The box consists of to separate decks of cards: Things (the noun cards) and Descriptions (the adjective cards). The noun cards are red, and the adjective cards are green.
On each turn there will be one judge. The judge will draw an adjective card and read it out loud. They will then place the adjective card in the middle of the table for all players to see. Each other player then takes a noun card from their hand that best suits the description. The noun cards are placed face down. After all players have played their card the judge will shuffle them, read them out loud one by one, and pick the card they like the most. The winning player then receives one point. To make for easy scoring, the winning player can just keep the adjective card in front of them as a score keeper.
As the judge you can decide if you want to pick the card that is the funniest to you, the card that is the complete opposite, or something that fits the description completely. As this decision is completely up to the judge you will find each player will learn to adapt to their audience.
Apples to Apples is meant to be played with anywhere from 4 - 10 players. As always with these types of games, the more players usually means makes for a more diverse game. However, my friends and I found it was possible to play with as little as 3 players if each player (aside from the judge) played two noun cards to give the judge more options.
Although the game recommends ages 12 and up, it really is possible to be played with a younger crowd. While there is some cards that a younger audience may not understand, for example the names of older actors or politicians, the cards are all clean and appropriate. It can also provide a learning opportunity as each card does have a small description at the bottom.
Each game lasts anywhere from 30 mins to an hour but can really be customized to meet your gaming needs. If you only have a short time to play, you could have a game where the first to 5 points wins. On the flip side, if you want a longer game, you can make the goal higher.
The great thing about this game is that you really don't have to be a complex gamer to understand and have fun. The rules are simple enough for anyone to understand and yet the game play packs enough punch to keep everyone entertained. It is so rare to find a game that will both keep adults and children entertained for hours on end and Apples to Apples definitely does just that. When playing with children it's easy to keep things clean but if your game is strictly adults it's possible to slip the odd inappropriate joke in there.
Whether you have a young family or just want to play while having a few drinks with your friends, the diversity of the crowd it speaks to alone is worth picking up a copy of Apples to Apples. I give it 7 out of 10 apples.
@lamron_eb_yhw