Avocado Smash Review

I love a party game and I love poached egg and avocado! So when I got the chance to play Avocado Smash by Ridley's Games, I was really looking forward to giving it a try.

Avocado Smash is a fast-paced card game where the first player to get rid of their cards is the winner. Sounds simple enough but the fast paced nature of this game means that it isn't always as straight forward as it seems.

Avocado Smash Gameplay

Okay, the first thing I have to mention is how fabulous the packaging is for Avocado Smash. The game looks like an Avocado even down to when you open it. The cards and instructions are in the middle of the box like an avocado stone. The quality of the cards is very good too. They are well made and seem very durable. The aim of the game is very simple - be the first player to get rid of all your cards. The game requires very little in the way of set-up. To begin the game you shuffle the deck and then deal all the cards out equally to each player.

The youngest player begins a game of Avocado Smash, by taking the top card from their deck, turning it over and placing it face up in the centre of the playing area. The next player should then take the top card from their deck and place it on top of the centre card and so on. If both cards have the same number of avocados on them then that is a smash! All players have to smash their hands down on the centre pile and the last player to react is the loser and has to pick up all the cards in the centre. The losing player then starts off the next round, placing their top card in the centre. If players smash incorrectly then the cards in the centre are split between the offending players.

Whilst you are turning over your cards you must also count avocados aloud. The first player starts at one and the next players follow in sequence up to 15 avocados, then it goes back to one avocado and so on. If a card happens to match the number being said on that turn then that is a smash! All players have to smash their hands down in the middle of the table and the last player to react takes all the cards from the centre.

There are a couple of special cards in the Avocado Smash deck. The first of these is a SMASH! card. This means it is an automatic smash and the last player to react has to pick up all the cards. The next one is the Guacamole card (which is my personal favourite!). When this card is revealed all players must shout 'GUACAMOLE!'. The last player to react must pick up the centre cards. However, if a player smashes on a Guacamole card then they must pick up all the cards.

The last card is a change direction card and when this card is revealed you must immediately change direction. This change stays until the end of the round or until another change of direction card is revealed. In the advanced game this also changes the direction of the counting so you would then count down from whatever number you had got to in the game. This is a rule best saved for when you are more familiar with the game and I wouldn't recommend it for the younger players as it can be quite confusing for them.

The first player to get rid of all their cards is the winner of Avocado Smash, providing they survive the next smash! If two players run out of cards at the same time then the first player to react to the next smash wins!

Final Thoughts

Avocado Smash is a great little party game. It doesn't involve much set-up, it's quick to play and the rules are very simple and straight forward. Having said that, the game isn't as easy as it seems because you really do need to concentrate to make sure you are counting the sequence and not saying the number on your card by mistake.

You can play this game with two players and my son and I had a great time playing it by ourselves, but it is a much better game when you can get four or more people to play. It gets frantic, loud and a lot of fun. Avocado Smash is simple enough that younger players can join in so is a perfect party game to add to your collection. It is great fun and is sure to be a smash hit! Pun intended!