Monopoly

This Monopoly set was cheaply produced in China, as you might guess given its price. For a family looking for a first set, it seems satisfactory. But anyone who has played Monopoly for years should be on notice that this set, redesigned in 2008, includes several minor annoyances.

First, the most practical annoyance. The board folds up into quarters, which allows the manufacturer to fit the set into a smaller box, presumably to reduce production costs. But because the box is somewhat smaller (about 16 inches long), there is no room for the sort of convenient tray for Monopoly money that was once standard in the old boxes (which were about 20 inches long). This is annoying for both gameplay and storage.

Second, the producers have unnecessarily and inexplicably made small changes to the rules of the game -rules that have stood for more than half a century. Landing on the Luxury Tax space used to cost you $75; now it costs $100. The new rules also change the numbers of each kind of bill to be apportioned to players at the start of the game -and in fact, the game comes with a smaller supply of some bills.

Mention of this set's Monopoly money brings us to the third annoyance: the manufacturers made numerous gratuitous changes to the look of the game. The palette of colors used for Monopoly bills in the United States since the 1940s has been changed: The $10 bill used to be yellow; now it's blue. The $50 bill used to be blue; now it's purple. (These changes make it hard to reuse money from older Monopoly sets.) Among the other unnecessary changes to the look of the game: The formerly purple properties on the board (Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue) have been recolored brown. The Community Chest and Chance cards are now printed on white cardstock instead of the familiar orange and yellow, and the classic drawings on those cards have been replaced with computer-generated 3D cartoons. Even the "Go" space has been redesigned: now the word "Go" is written in black instead of the familiar red. (Stodgy purists might also be put off by the various alterations to font, logo, and other design elements.)

To be sure, these changes do not alter the fundamentals of the game itself. But they are annoying enough that anyone with nostalgic memories of the game from childhood should consider a different set.

UPDATE (July 2011): Thanks to one of the commenters on this page, I'm pleased to note that Amazon now offers Monopoly The Classic Edition. From the descriptions, reviews, and comments on that product's page, it appears that it suffers from none of the annoying problems I have criticized here.

Please feel free to read this review in its entirety, or save yourself some time and avoid this version of Monopoly and buy the "Monopoly Classic" version instead.While it is about double the price, it is the game you know and love.The less expensive version (reviewed here) is a piece of garbage.

I regret this purchase.If you grew up playing Monopoly, you would be much, much better off buying "classic" or a used version.There are several major issues with this version, as well as some minor ones.If you buy this to teach your children one of the most beloved games of your childhood and a part of Americana, you are apt to be disappointed.

The major issues involve quality and design.The board itself no longer folds in two.It is cut to fold into quarters and barely sits level on a table.I do not hold out much hope it will last very long. The property cards are flimsy, made smaller than in the past, as well as being thinner.The Chance and Community Chest cards are also of poor quality, much thinner than their predecessors, and take on color changes, now being blue/white and orange/white, instead of the familiar yellow and orange, respectively.

The money is a big concern as well.The money is thin and there are not enough slots provided to use money in the bank during play, or to store after gameplay,and in fact there are raised areas in the plastic money tray which prevent the money from even sitting in the spaces.The raised areas are somewhat random and follow no logical pattern. So forget using the box/tray component for the bank during a game or storing money neatly.The tray is essentially useless.I have no idea what Hasbro/Parker Brothers was thinking here, and apparently neither did they.

The minor issues are some game changes: The money is different color and handed out in different amounts.Very minor, yes, but now you have to get used to $10 being blue (used to be the $50) as well as some other color changes.You are also starting the game with different amounts of money.Also the Income Tax space is now a flat $200 instead of "10% or $200", and Luxury Tax is $100, no longer $75.Again, these are minor but worth noting.

I would avoid this cheaply made version.At the very least this should be advertised as what it is "revamped Monopoly."

Buy Monopoly Now

Monopoly is often overlooked as a gamenight option these days, many people considering it outdated. But it's a classic for a reason, combining lucky rolls and strategy in a very unique way.

The fact is that most people don't play Monopoly by the correct rules, and that makes all the difference. The key to enjoying the game is the inter-player deals and politics. That's where all the fun lies, and much of the strategy. Any player can strike any kind of a deal with another player want to trade all the purples and light blues for Boardwalk? No problem. Want to trick someone into trading a property you need for all your railroads? This is where the real enjoyment comes from. I encourage you not only to get the game and play it, but to read the rules and "get into" the game.

There are also some fun alternate rules you can use, such as collecting $400 (instead of $200) when you *land* directly on "go", or putting fine money (from chance cards, utility expenses, get out of jail money, etc.) in the center of the board and collecting it when you land on "free parking".

Don't overlook Monopoly as an outdated option. It's still one of the best games out there.

Read Best Reviews of Monopoly Here

I bought Monopoly because my sister took our family set of the game.I shouldn't have let her have it!This cheap version of the game doesn't compare to what you're used to!It feels flimsy and the box is too small.

The bank tray isn't large enough to hold the money so it's just a wasted piece of plastic.You can try standing the money up but it doesn't work.

The chance/community chest cards are white (the tops have color).

The property cards are the same size as the other cards (small).

The board doesn't fold in half, it folds in quarters and doesn't lay flat.

This version doesn't contain the guy on the horse token or the cannon token.

I'm returning this junk.You get what you pay for.

Edit:A better version: Monopoly The Classic Edition

Want Monopoly Discount?

What did children do before they had 100 channels on their televisions, the latest I-Pods, cell phones, computer games, and door-to-door transporation? ANSWER:They played Monopoly!Having gone through my formative years in the 1950's, when we had two channels on a snowy black and white screen and the use of our aunt's eight-party telephone line, we learned how to have a good time with what we had.And we had a rip-roaring good time playing Monopoly, the king of board games.

We played it fast paced, and we developed many skills.We learned from interacting with each other in a nonthreatening environment, as we sat around a little square table.(Imagine a family sitting around a table and conversing for hours!)We learned how to handle imaginary money, count, add without paper or a calculator, make change, handle real estate, roll with the punches, lose gracefully, and win without too much bragging.We developed social skills and vented our frustations as we played Monopoly.

I'm glad I grew up with Monopoly, a social feast in a box.We wanted to play to the end of every game, but sometimes we had to go to bed or do our chores.At that time, we would cash in so we could declare a winner.

Monopoly is the perfect balance between luck and skill.It is great for young players and adults alike.Playing with children is a super way for parents to learn about their children and teach them.

There is one problem I have with the new Monopoly games:I loved the little wooden figures that we used.It does not seem the same without them.

We are on the verge of a renaissance of board games.Monopoly is a great game for starters.

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