Finally - I'm A Champion! (Monopoly)

Member Name: Recon

Product:	Monopoly
Date:	03/03/08 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very fun, Long duration, Addicting, Strategic, Cheap, Make your own rules! 8 playes

Disadvantages: Too long?

Monopoly is the greatest board game ever created! It is so much fun to play and quite strategic, meaning luck doesn't win you the game! Luck may well help with the roll of the dice; however you need some tactics in order to beat your opponents. Monopoly can get pretty competitive but is always fun to play! I used to be terrible at this game and whenever I played with my brother, I always lost to him! Having recently played with him a couple times, I managed to win both times and have improved greatly!

Monopoly is a game where you will progress around the board buying properties you wish to if you have the money. If not, you can mortgage current properties and even take out a loan from the bank depending on the rules you are using. There are loads of variations of rules, which I will touch on later. The properties get better as you progress through the board. You start on the 'Go' square and the next corner is where the jail is. The corner after that is the Free Parking spot, which you can wait on for one go before having to move. Opposite that is the 'Go to Jail' square, which sends you right to jail for two goes unless you roll a double, when you can move out instantly and then play the next go.

Each row is 10 squares long, so you get used to moving your marker after a while from just looking rather than counting each square. In between the straights, there are train stations in the middle (4 in total) as well as all the properties. The properties start with Old Kent Road and Whitechapel and end up with Park Lane and Mayfair being the best.

The properties are increasingly expensive as you move round the board. Below is a rough outline of the basic rules:

1. The game is played with 2 dice
2. Throwing a double 6 gives you another roll as well as moving 12 squares
3. Passing 'Go' gives you £200
4. Landing on Chance/Community Chest squares means picking up a card from the top of the respective pile
5. Landing on an unowned property allows you to purchase it if you wish whether it is a property, train station or utility
6. If the player declines to buy, then it is auctioned off to the other players
7. When a player lands on a square owned by another player, they must pay the rent depending on the standard cost or the number of train stations they own if you land on one.
8. Hotels and houses cost more to rent when you land on them, if the player has bought houses/hotels to place on the square
9. During a turn, you may buy houses and hotels as well as mortgage/develop properties as well as discuss deals with other players
10. All developments such as houses and hotels must be sold before mortgaging a property

These are the main rules, but I never follow rule 6 because it is stupid with 2 players anyway, and I don't like the rule. Everyone seems to make up their own rules. I find that the lottery/jackpot on the parking lot square is brilliant, and adds tension and excitement to the game! The rules we do is we add £10 every time we pass it. The official rules state that you start with £500 under the square at the beginning, but I think this is too much; especially with 2 players. I also agree that private deals can be done with other players or it's hard to get a set! After all, you can only develop and build houses/hotels when you have a full set such as all the browns, greens or purples. If you have a train station, the basic rent for landing on it (another player) is £25. It then increases in £25 increments for each one you own and there are 4 in total. Therefore, if another player lands on one and you have the set, then they have to pay £200, which is quite a lot and with 4 squares on the board, it can earn you a lot of money! Obviously the green and purple sets on the final straight are excellent to own as they are expensive when you land on them!

There are many sets with no more than 3 properties per set, and no less than 2. They are colour coded and there are cards that come with the game that are handed out when you purchase the property. There are also utilities that you can buy. These are the water works and electrical company. The rent landing on them is something like 4x the amount on the dice if you own one, and then 10x if you own both. This can bring you in a lot of money if they roll a 12 and land on your set! That is £120! The game includes many markers and can have up to 8 players! The game is also quite long and normally has duration of 1-2 hours. A good game can even last up to 4 hours as you play it out until you get a winner! The game comes with plenty of houses (green) and hotels (red), which are used for developing properties. There are also community chest and chance cards for certain squares when you land on them. These cards can say anything from 'It's your birthday, each player owes you £10' to 'you have to pay rent on your houses and hotels: £25 per house and £50 per hotel'. This can be a killer when you have loads of houses and hotels on different properties, and can leave you bankrupt! There is also plenty of cash that comes with the game, which is just made of thin paper and coloured differently. People never know the official starting amounts, so here they are for the British game:

Two x £500
Four x £100
One x £50
One x £20
Two x £10
One x £5
Five x £1

The above list features every note that is in the game. The new deluxe version of this game can be bought round £9.99 at good toy shops such as Toys 'R' Us. It is well-worth buying as it is an exciting game for all the family! It is very fun and quite addicting! The game can last anything from 1 hour to 4 hours depending on the number of players and more. It is really fun to play and very unique compared to other games.

Thanks for reading,

- Recon -

Summary: A great game that involves buying properties and gaining money to bankrupt the other players