Players take turns discarding cards to represent the throw of a bowling ball with up to two throws per frame - the goal is to get all 10 pins in each frame either with a "strike" (get all 10 pins at once by playing one card) or by finishing off the unclaimed pins on the second card with a "spare". Each game consists of 10 frames, and the game is scored via regulation American bowling rules. A "Captain" player keeps score on a laminated scoresheet for all players. With 2+ players, the player with the highest score at the end of 10 frames wins. With solo play, you try to beat your previous best score. The highest possible score is 300 points! The original (1960) edition contained two decks of cards (108 total), enough for 1 to 4 players to play right out of the box. The 1964 edition came with only one deck of 54 cards supporting either one or two players unless you purchased a second set of 54 cards separately to allow play with up to 4 people (the laminated scorecard in both versions includes 4 player lines to support up to four players). Trivia: The yellow 1964 "Authorized Edition" box shows the game named "Don Carter's Strike! Bowling Game" and doesn't mention "300" anywhere on the box, but the instructions only refer to the game as "300" and don't mention Don Carter anywhere! The most likely reason is that they licensed Don's endorsement for the 1964 edition of the game but neglected to update the rules sheet to accommodate the newer name. Don was and is (apparently) widely considered the greatest bowler of all time.