Apples to Apples The Party Box

The Game of Hilarious Comparisons 4 to 10 players ages 12 and up

I had heard of this game that everyone was talking about called Apples to Apples. At the time I was busy being “grown up” and didn’t look into the game. (I can’t believe there was ever a time to that I thought I was too grown up for games. Really I wasn’t but because I was still playing just not looking for new games. Silly, I know.) Anyways, fast forward years I saw Apples to Apples Jr. in the second store and knew I had to try put this game. You can read the full review of the Jr version here. As we played the Jr version, I wondered what the difference would be between the adult and Jr ones would be. Then luck would have it and I can across Apples to Apples The Party Box.

The Object

The object of Apples to Apples is to win green cards.

The Cards

There are two types of cards in Apples to Apples. There are red answer cards and there are green question cards. In the party box, there are 749 red cards, 249 green cards and 10 blank cards to personalize the game.

The Red Cards

The red card have the answers. These are people, places, items or events. Examples are “Spilled milk,” “the opera,” and “women.” These are accompanied with description that are often humours such s “A bad haircut. The perfect start to a bad hair day.”

The Green Cards

The green cards have the questions on them. These are not full questions. Most of them are single words. Examples are “Absurd,” “brilliant,” and “magical.” These are also accompanied with descriptions such as “Spicy flavorful, tangy, hot.”

Set Up

Before playing Apples to Apples the Party Box, each player is dealt seven red cards. The players can look at their cards but need to keep them secret.

Next, the players decide who will be the first judge.

Playing

The first judge turns over a green apple card and reads it out loud. Next, the other players choose a card from their had that they feel best fits the question card and places it on the table face down. When all the red cards are played, the judge collects them and shuffles them. He then reads all the answers out loud and decides on the best answer. During this time, players are feel to comment on the answer cards in effort to sway the judge’s vote. Once the judge makes a decision, the player who placed the chosen card get to place the green card in front of her. The judge then deals out a card to everyone and play moves on to the next player. The next player is then the judge and the process is repeated.

Winning Apples to Apples The Party Box

Winning is dependant on how many players you have. They are are follows:

4 players = 8 green cards to win
5 players = 7
6 players = 6
7 players = 5
8 – 10 players = 4 green cards to win.

The first player to reach the need amount of green cards is the winner.

Variations

Quick Pick

This variation is best used for large groups. The last player to choose a red answer card and place it down has to pick it back up and added it back into his hand. He then does not get a new card. This can speed up a game.

Apple Turnovers

In this variation, players are dealt five green cards instead of red ones. The judge then turns over a red card and player must choose the green card from their hand that best matches.

Quick Pick for Four

If you are playing Apples to Apples the Party Box with four players, then you can play with this variation. A player may play two red apple cards form their hands. The red cared must be played one at a time. Only the first four cards will be judged.

Crab Apples

This variation has players choosing the answer they think least fits the card. For example a player could choose the red card “cleaning the bathroom” for the green card “fancy”.

Big Apples

This is the variation of Apples to Apples the Party Box for the gamblers. Players can wage a green card that the judge will pick their card. If the judge does pick that card the player gets all of the green cards wagered. If the judge picks a card of a player who has not waged, then all green cards that were waged get placed in the discard pile.

Apple Potpourri

This is the most random variation. Players must pick a red card to play before the green card is turned over. The judge then must choose as normal.

2 for 1 Apples

This variation is the most challenging. Instead of turning over one green card, the judge turns over two green cards and players then have to pick the card that best fits both green cards.

What We Like

We are fans of the Apples to Apples Jr game so the party box was an upgrade for us. You can read the full review here. The game play is the same which is a good thing. The game is still as easy to play and understand as the Jr version. The fact the box came with so many cards makes for great possibilities, ensuring no two games will be the same. The fill in the blank card are also a nice addition.

The quality is good. The game will last a very long time. However, with quality and a large amount of cards, this is one of the heaviest game boxes that we own. It should also be noted that having that many cards loose in the box makes for a big mess. Elastic bands have made that a long gone problem.

Lastly, we like the different variations that come with the game. We love finding new ways to play favorite games.

What we Don’t Like

There were a lot of cards where the girls didn’t know the person. For example they didn’t know who “Regis Philbin” or “Jerry Springer” are. Also, there are a lot of American answers and being Canadian they don’t have the same meaning to us. The girls didn’t understand the “assignation the JFK” card to name one. Of course, we could also just pull these cards out and not play with them—as I said earlier there are lots of cards. We have started doing this. There also seems to be more of this type of card than in the Jr version which doesn’t give the same feel.

In the jr version, five red cards are dealt as opposed to the seven in the party box. This should have made for better choices but we found that it was just more cumbersome instead.

Lastly, the increase in number of green cards to win makes the game longer. As this is a favorite game it isn’t a big problem but it just seems to drag out more.

Conclusion

Apples to Apples the Party Box is a fun, quick game that the whole family can play. It is easy and fun to play with guests. Although we prefer the Jr version of this game, the amount of cards and variations makes this a worth while game, especially if your kids are growing up way too fast. We recommend Apples to Apples the Party Box for your Family Game Shelf.

To get your own copy of Apples to Apples the Party Box click here.

To find more games for your Family Game Shelf, check out our reviews.
Also check out our dice games and card games for even more family fun!

Pros: fast, easy, fun, quality
Cons: some outdated cards, heavy
Mom: critical thinking, judging skills

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