Features:

• Classic family board game
• A game of luck, chance, and savvy wheeling and dealing
• Buy and sell properties in Atlantic City
• Corner parts of the board, build houses and hotels, and charge other players exorbitant rent
• Includes a new game piece and rules for a shortened version of the game

Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Everybody remembers the Monopoly game - that's why it's still the most popular, most widely played, and best-selling board game in the world! Across the generations and around the globe, what other game brings back so many memories of wheeling-and-dealing family fun' No other game has turned so many game playing moments into memories! Whether you're discovering the fun for the first time or reliving the carefree days of youth, get out there and Buy! Sell! Mortgage! Build houses and hotels! And collect those rents! That's what makes Monopoly the great American game - just ask Rich Uncle Pennybags! For 2 to 8 players. Game includes: game board, 10 tokens, title deed cards, play money, chance cards, community chest cards, 32 houses, 12 hotels and two dice.

Editorial Review:
In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, an unemployed heating engineer from Pennsylvania created the game of Monopoly. Realizing that his get-rich theme might appeal to other Americans, he had the game printed and distributed in a Philadelphia department store. When he couldn't keep up with the overwhelming requests for more sets, he arranged for Parker Brothers to take over the game. And the rest, as they say, is history. But Monopoly is far from a quaint historical relic. To this day, it remains a riveting game of luck, chance, and savvy wheeling and dealing--all of which can make some lucky dog rich, rich, rich! Based on the purchase of Atlantic City real estate (a city currently renowned for its get-rich gambling opportunities), Monopoly is now printed in 26 languages with more than 200 million sets sold worldwide. Players still scoot the same beloved board pieces: the old shoe, the terrier, and the hot rod. This set also includes rules for a shortened version of the game and a new token, winner of Monopoly's recent "design a token" contest. This is capitalism at its most fun and ruthless, a must-have edition in the family game closet. --Gail Hudson

Rating : - If you have the time, I'm ready to play
Game Description: Monopoly is a real estate buying-and-trading game. There are many variations now on the market, using different themes and different locations or settings as their bases, but I am reviewing the original version, where all the place-names are derived from Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The board is square, and has forty small squares around the perimeter. A good image of the board can be found by looking on the Wikipedia.com page for the game. Play starts with a Banker being chosen, and each player getting $1500 US in Monopoly money, with the following denomination-distribution:

Two each of:
$500 bills (orange)
$100 bills (beige)
$50 bills (blue)

Six $20 bills (green)

Five each of:
$10 bills (yellow)
$5 bills (pink)
$1 bills (white)

Players each choose one of twelve pieces: a wheelbarrow, a battleship, a sack of money (1999 editions onwards), a horse and rider, a car, an old style iron, a thimble, a cannon, an old style shoe or boot, a Scottie dog, an iron, and a top hat. Going first is decided by rolling the dice, and play proceeds by each player rolling the two dice, moving that number of squares clockwise, and taking whatever action the square calls for. If the player rolls doubles, he or she gets another turn.

The squares include:

Twenty-eight properties, three Chance spaces, three Community Chest spaces, a Luxury Tax space, an Income Tax space, and the four corner squares: GO, Jail, Free Parking, and Go to Jail.

Players start on the GO square and, on each subsequent passing of that square, the player gets $200 from the bank.

If a player lands on the Jail square, he or she can be just visiting. If a player lands on Go to Jail, he or she moves to the Jail square, and cannot get out except by: Turning in a Get Out of Jail Free card, obtained from Chance or Community Chest; rolling doubles on a subsequent turn; paying the $50 fine. One can also land in jail for rolling doubles three times in a row.

If you land on Chance or Community Chest, the player draws the top card from the respective pile, takes whatever action it indicates, and discards the card on a discard pile. Chance and Community Chest cards can either benefit or penalize the player.

If a player lands on Luxury Tax or Income Tax, he or she must pay the indicated amount, to the Bank. See the Free Parking section for a twist on this.

If a player lands on Free Parking, by the official rules, nothing happens. However, the official rules, and tradition, have long encouraged the use of House Rules, that must be agreed upon by all players, before the game starts. One of the most common House Rules, is that the game start with $500 in Free Parking, and all taxes and fines be added to that. When a player lands on Free Parking, under this rule, he or she acquires the accumulated amount, often kept in the middle of the board.

If a player lands on an un-owned property, he or she can either purchase it, and hold the deed, or let it go up for auction. Sometimes, under House Rules, the auction option is not used, and that might be useful for new players.

If a player lands on an owned property, he or she must pay the rent, as designated on the owner's deed, unless that property is mortgaged. The rent doubles when the owner owns all properties in a color-set, and goes up more when the owner has developed the property by added houses or a hotel.

Play continues until all but one player has run out of money. The game can last anywhere from twenty minutes to three hours, depending upon the number of players and whether House Rules are in place. With the House Rule on Free Parking, described above, games can easily take three hours, as nearly-bankrupt players can be rapidly resurrected to wealthy status with one lucky turn.

Strengths of the Game: I am not a big fan of games where the outcome is largely a matter of chance and, while the roll of the dice is a factor is Monopoly, there is strategy to be used, as well. It involves deciding which properties to buy, which trades to make, and which properties to develop. In multi-player games, two weaker players can make mutually-beneficial trades, to defend against a player who is threatening to dominate the game.

On a more basic level, the game involves skills like turn-taking, money-handling, and counting, that younger players might need to practice. Monopoly really does capture the basics of economic systems in capitalist countries.

Weaknesses of the Game: The time involved can be a negative. Whenever a game can take two hours to play, it requires can be a problem. This issue can be resolved, however, by having all players agree, before the game starts, on a time limit. Some people might object to Monopoly also, based on how much it is based on money and capitalism. Another problem arise when a game is played with three or more players; the first player who goes bankrupt will have to find something else to do, unless he or she enjoys being a spectator. I prefer two-player games, for the reason.

History Trivia: While preparing to write this, I found out that the origins of it are somewhat in dispute, and this has resulted in a few copyright battles over the years. Parker Brothers, and its parent company, Hasbro, have most of the current rights, but there is still disagreement over who invented the game, in the first place.

What I Think: I have been playing Monopoly since I learned it, as a youngster. When two or more people have the time, I think it is a good, interesting way to spend an afternoon. I know that capitalism is not everyone's favorite economic system, but it is a fact of life in many countries and, agree with it or not, Monopoly teaches you the basics.


-- Chris McCallister, author of Coming Full Circle