The Rollercoaster Money Game (Monopoly Junior)

Member Name: mosaic369

Product:	Monopoly Junior
Date:	07/07/09 (148 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Entertaining (for the children), educational, brings the family together

Disadvantages: Can be a bit boring for adults

Monopoly Junior by Hasbro is basically a simplified version of the classic Monopoly game and it's suitable for children between the ages of 5-8. This is the very first board game we bought for our son. Actually, he chose it himself as a treat for being good. Normally, it retails at around £10, but it only cost us £2 from the local charity shop in nearly new condition. I was a bit sceptical at first, thinking at four and a half my son was too young to enjoy this game, but he proved me wrong. This has become one of his favourite games and he's always ready to play a round.

The game comes in a square-shaped sturdy storage box, which includes 1 gameboard, 4 cars in 4 different colours as markers (red, green, blue, yellow), 48 ticket booths (12 in each colour), 25 chance cards, a die, and a pack of Monopoly money in the form of £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 banknotes. The board is designed as if it was an amusement park with various attractions along the way, for example the Merry-go-Round (£2), the Helicopter Ride (£4), and the Loop the Loop (£5). Each attraction is available to purchase if you're the first to land on it and you can mark it with your ticket booth. If you land on an attraction which is already owned by another player, you have to pay for the ride. The object of the game is to own as many attractions as you can so that you can collect the entry fees for them. If you run out of money, you're out of the game. The winner is the player with the most cash and property at the end. Along the way there are little surprises like the chance squares, where you can choose a card and follow its instructions. These can work for or against you. Each board game has a killer square, which you want to avoid at all cost - even if it takes cheating (just kidding!). The killer square in this game says "Pay three pounds to take the Bus to the Café". Not only do you have to pay, you also lose a turn waiting in the café and can't collect your £2 when you go past the GO square. On the other hand, if you land on "Mr Monopoly's loose change" you get to keep all the money accumulated there during the game.

This game can hold my son's attention for up to one hour. It is less interesting for us, adults, of course, but not too boring, I would say. Apart from the entertainment aspect, it is also quite educational. My son has learned simple additions, like a £1 note plus a £2 note make 3 pounds. And subtractions: if something costs 3 pounds, but he only has a £5 note, he will get a £2 note back. He's also learned to wait for his turn and follow the rules. I first thought he would rebel against the rules, but he didn't. He accepts them. Rules are rules, you can't break them. He's also learned that sometimes he loses. This was difficult for him to accept at first, but I didn't want him to believe that he can win every time. It's better if he gets used to the idea of losing sometimes, although I hate to see the disappointment on his little face. The good thing about this game is that he can easily win it as well and he has, in fact, won quite a few rounds without me letting him win. Sometimes his dad joins in too, and I love the way this game brings our small family together on a rainy day.

I know it's just a "dumbed-down" version of the real thing, and I'm looking forward to playing the original game with him when he's old enough. Until then, this will do just fine.

Summary: A child-sized version of the big Monopoly game