Jail stays but Mayfair goes! (Monopoly Disney Edition)

Member Name: millergirl

Product:	Monopoly Disney Edition
Date:	23/02/02 (779 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Bright fresh look to an old game

Disadvantages: Playing pieces are a bit alike

Maybe I have been surrounded by children for too long or perhaps I am just trying to make excuses for myself, but as time goes by I seem to enjoy Disney more and more. So when I was out shopping for a gift for a couple of friends and I spotted this special edition of Monopoly I could only resist it for the shortest time before I caved in and got my money out.

I should tell you that I have always enjoyed the traditional game and have many happy memories of time spent playing this as a child with my siblings and parents and then later with my own children. Now my foster children love to play and I encourage them as I feel board games are good for social interaction (till the fights break out).

For any that has not seen the traditional game I will give a brief outline of the game.

Monopoly involves moving around a board at the throw of a pair of dice, starting at the square marked Go. The aim is to buy property as you land on it and later if you collect a complete set of one colour (usually three but some times two) you can begin to build houses, at a cost of course! Four houses can be built on each street and if funds permit you can then build a hotel.

Some squares on the board give other instructions, maybe to pay taxes or even to go to jail; we’re not told what for maybe it is failing to pay previous taxes! There are also forfeit cards some good some not so good. Each time you pass the Go square you collect £200.Once you own property you can claim rent from any other player that lands on it, if you have houses or a hotel you can claim more sounds like life really!

Now to the Disney version and first the board. The four corner squares, Go, Jail, Free Parking and Go to Jail are the same but all the others are unique to this version. Each property square is now represented by a Disney films, some old classics like Bambi, Sleeping Beauty and Dumbo but some of the more up to date ones feature as well, Toy Story, Mulan
and Lion King to name but a few.

The forfeit cards known on the original as Chance and community are here known as Pixie Dust and magic Moments. Here I have to apologise to any one that I ever play this game with, as I seem unable to land on a Magic Moment square without bursting into the old Perry Como song!

The eight playing pieces are again Disney characters and here is the main fault I have with the game. The pieces are Pinocchio, Dumbo, Mowgli, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Alice, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Now the last three, when in play look very similar and with so many different shaped characters to chose from I would have thought they could have chosen more different shaped ones.

The money is the same apart from a picture of Donald Duck on it.

The property cards are places to do with the film shown on the board for example the two browns are, Toy Story..Andy’sRoom and Tarzan..Jungle Treehouse.

Instead of the old square houses and hotels you have shaped White Rabbit Cottages and Sleeping Beauty Castles.

The game comes with a good clear instruction leaflet and the game rules. This also included a brief film synopsis of each of the films represented on in the game.

Okay that is the fact now would I recommend it? Well overall I think I would. They haven’t messed about with the rules they have just changed the ascetics of the game. It has certainly brought a renewed interest in the game of Monopoly to our house as the old traditional set has been long forgotten in the back of a cupboard!

I do find the playing pieces annoying as I have said but I can find no other fault with it. It is has a really bright new look to it and it pleases me! So yes if you like Monopoly and you have children this is fun, but if like my husband you hate the game it won’t change your mind. I had hoped that the new look and the passing of time he may give it another chance but no he s
till runs from the room the moment anyone reaches for the game!

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