G@mebox author Doug Adams writes about the game:

Perpetual Commotion is a real time card game, where everyone is involved in the action simultaneously. The game consists of six decks of quality playing cards, an 8-sided die, and a small set of rules. Two additional twin-deck packs are also available, allowing up to ten players into a game.

Each deck of cards has a separate colour backing, which is important during scoring. The contents of each deck are identical, consisting of 4 coloured suits of 2 to 12, 4 wild "START" cards, and 4 wild "STOP" cards. The object of the game is get as much of your deck into play as possible before the round is declared over.

At the beginning of a round, each player takes a deck of cards and shuffles it. The deck is held in the left hand and held out for the left hand neighbour to grasp. Once every deck is held between two players (which rather resembles a séance), somebody declares go, decks are seized, and the action begins.

The first thing every player has to do is deal five cards face up in front of them, which is called your Front Five. Then a thirteen-card mini-deck has to be dealt out and placed next to your Front Five - this is called the Feeder deck. Once this is done, you begin playing.

Cards are played from your front file into common piles in the centre of the table. Everyone can play onto any common pile. A common pile has to be started with a wild START card, after which a suited 2 is played, suited 3, and so on up until a suited 12 is played. A wild STOP takes that pile out of play.

Once a card has been played from your front five, you replenish it from the Feeder pile. To keep the action humming, you can work through your main deck, three cards at a time, and playing from the top turn up into the common piles. Once somebody has emptied their thirteen-card Feeder pile via their Front Five, they can declare the round over for a five-point bonus.

The round is scored by gathering up all the cards played into piles. These are sorted by their different coloured card backs. Every card played is one point, while every card remaining in Feeder piles is a two-point penalty. The game plays to 150 points, which usually takes eight to ten rounds.

The 8-sided dice can be rolled between rounds to change the scoring rules for the next round. Double points, ten points for going out, etc. It doesn't change the game and throws a little additional chaos into the mix.

This is a fast, frenetic and very funny game to play. The only limits in the game are self-imposed - how fast can you work your decks, watch the common piles, and the other players? One practice round is strongly recommended for new players, but after that, the fur tends to fly. The only problem I can see is if you get high cards turned up in your Front Five, you are essentially out of the round. However, the game is so fast and funny, it hardly matters.

Recommended.