Dollar Stores can be a great resource for the avid card game player. Around here (Raleigh, NC USA) I can depend on finding standard decks of cards, usually two for a dollar. But the best dollar store finds are actual card games.

During a recent visit to a local Dollar Store I found a copy of "Survivor:The Australian Outback - The Card Game." I had to buy it! Mattel produced it. I couldn't find a link to it on their web site, so it may not be in production any more.

The game aims to create the tension and drama of the TV show right in your living room. You get to skip the heat, bugs, and smell, thank goodness! The goal, of course, is to be the last player still in the game. The rules are simple, and if it's not in the rules, do what you think best. But remember - the other players will remember what you decide when it's time to vote someone out of the game!

Get together a copy of the game, four to eight friends, and you're ready to play!

The deck contains 67 Survival Items card (including three "wild" cards), 36 Command cards, the Immunity Idol, and 8 Survival Lists. First, deal each player a Survival List. It acts as a reference of what items you need to collect. It also indicates what color represents each player.

Shuffle the Survival Items, deal four to each player, then leave the remaining Items as a draw pile where everyone can reach them. Shuffle the Command Cards and leave them face down in a separate draw pile.

Place the Immunity Idol face up in the center of the play space.

Play begins with the youngest player and continues clockwise. Just turn over a Command Card, and do what you're told. Color commentary is highly encouraged! The first player who collects (trades for, steals) enough Survival items is the Immunity Idol and cannot be voted out of the game - but everyone else is at risk, because it's also time for Tribal Council.

Even if you're voted out of the game, don't go away. You may want to "encourage" the remaining players. And once the game's down to two players, everyone comes back for the final vote to determine the winner.

Tips!

~When you shuffle the Survival Items for the first time, take the three "wild" cards out and place them in the deck in three separate places. This will ensure that the three don't stay bunched together in one place. Then shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, and shuffle some more to make sure the card really are as random as possible.

~Remember that everyone votes in the final Tribal Council - just because they're not in the game right now doesn't mean that won't have a hand in whether you win or loose!