The object of the game is to make sets (three or more cards of the same denomination) or runs (three or more consecutive cards of the same suite), and to lay down your sets and runs before your opponents. Any cards not played count against you.

In the first hand three cards are dealt to each player, and threes are wild. In the second hand four cards are dealt to each player, and fours are wild, etc. This can get confusing, and often a player will accidentally discard a "wild card", which adds to the fun. The deck also contains some jokers as additional wild cards.

A player can be behind for nearly the entire game, and catch up in the last few hands by playing all the cards in her/his hand, and forcing others to get stuck with their cards.

The rules are easy and quick to learn, and the scoring is simple.

95 of 96 found the following review helpful:

A "whole family" Card Game  Sep 12, 2000

I have to give myself 5 stars for ordering this game. My whole family (which includes my husband, a teenager and a fourth grader) loves Five Crowns. I was looking for a card game we never played before to take along on our vacation. I had to make sure that any new game would be simple enough for my 9 year old to play yet be complicated enough to keep my 14 year old interested. Well, I hit the jackpot with Five Crowns. The instructions are clear and short. We learned to play Five Crowns in just one hand; we played every night on our vacation. And now that we're back... homework first, then Five Crowns.

174 of 183 found the following review helpful:

great game.....terrible cardstock  Jul 02, 2000

this is a game that is a lot of fun and is easy to get into. Simple rules, simple scoring, easy to learn and the game never loses its luster with repeated playings. I have been playing this game regularly for six months and it is still the first game we play whenever any one comes over. My favorite feature of this game is that no matter what your score is you are almost never out of the game. I have played many a game where the leader all game bit the dust at the end. Its always great watching players reactions when some one goes out after drawing their first card. (...) Buy it you will love it!

61 of 63 found the following review helpful:

Fun, easy-to-learn, addictive card game  Dec 03, 2003
By JET
This game is made by the same folks who make Quiddler, which is why I picked it up. Basically, the game is a mix of Quiddler and rummy. You start out with three cards, where the three is the wild card. You go all the way up to thirteen cards in subsequent hands, where the king is the wild card. Your goal is to go out by having three of the same card (i.e., three kings, three tens, etc.) or having a run of cards in the same suit (i.e., 4, 5, and 6 of diamonds). The twist is that there are five suits: diamonds, hearts, clubs, spades, and stars. The winner of the game is the person with the least points (each card is assigned a point value and if you're left with cards in your hand, you have that many points).

As with Quiddler, this is a simple, addicting game. You can play many games in a row, many nights in a row and not get tired of it. It's easy to take on a trip, as you only need room for the deck and a discard pile. Also, the design of the cards is very aesthetically pleasing, as the jacks, queens, kings, and jokers look like characters out of a storybook and all of the cards are colorful.

If you're looking for a new game for your collection and don't want to spend $30, this is the game for you!

58 of 61 found the following review helpful:

Great game (but keep it to two players)  Sep 14, 1999

Great rummy game. The extra suit makes it faster than a normal deck. Lots of fun for both kids and adults. However, only a so-so game for more than 2 players because a discard you need is inaccessible to you if you're not immediately after the person who discards it. Try Wizard for a great game for 3 or more players.

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