The game consists of 60 durable playing cards and a 2¼-inch plastic Zeus statue. Forty of the cards are numbered 1 through 10, while the remaining 20 cards have colorful illustrations of mythical characters and special play instructions.

The cards are shuffled, four cards are dealt to each player, and the remaining cards are placed facedown in a single stack on the playing surface. The player whose name begins with the letter closest to “Z” places a card on the table (now called Mount Olympus) and announces the point total of the cards. As points are added, subtracted, or changed, players announce the new Mount Olympus total.

In a race to a total of 100 points, the winning player must also possess the Zeus statue. Ownership of Zeus can be won in several ways: playing a number card that results in a Mount Olympus value in a multiple of ten, playing a duplicate card to the top Mount Olympus card, or playing a Greek Mythology god card that specifies stealing Zeus. Possession of Zeus changes often in the game; the trick is to use strategy to obtain the statue when the Mount Olympus value nears 100.