Although the game includes only a tray of green and red cards, Apples to Apples Junior is an entirely engaging game that holds long-term—and multi-generational—appeal.
The goal of the game is to be the first player to win four green cards. In each round of play, one player is the Judge and deals five red cards to each of the other players. The Judge then turns over a green adjective card, which might be anything from "soft" to "boring". At this point, players look through their concealed hand of red "noun" cards and decide which one is best described by the green card. For example, a player might have cards that read: "ducks", "onions", "waterfalls", "watching TV", and "riding a bike". If the green card reads "fun", then the player might select "riding a bike" as the best match since riding a bike can be quite fun! Once all players have made their decision, the current Judge decides which red card is the best match, and the successful player wins the card.
Sounds straightforward enough? Sometimes, everything does make sense. However, players must take into consideration the personality of the person currently playing Judge. For example, what is "fun" to your mother might be considered "boring" to your little brother! This is where the game becomes especially interesting and a decidely social affair. Players generally end up laughing at the possible combinations, and invariably have a great time. Often players end up with a hand of words that have no obvious connection to the green card in play, but players make their best choice nevertheless. The results are sometimes abstract, often brain-stretching, and usually quite hilarious.
Apples to Apples Junior is one of those rare games that has far-reaching appeal. Parents will thoroughly enjoy playing the game with their kids, or, at the very least, watching the kids enjoy the game. As they play, children not only develop their skills with words and word associations, they exercise both strategy and critical thinking skills at the same time. There is a strong social element to the game: kids try to put themselves into the shoes of other players, and negotiation skills almost always come into play! If the game's rules are strictly followed, Apples to Apples Junior requires three or more players. However, our testers became very creative when there weren't enough people available to play the game, and invented their own variations.
