One of the most recognisable board games on the market is still one of the best (Monopoly)

Member Name: mrjoegoodwin

Product:	Monopoly
Date:	25/05/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great mix of tactics, skill and luck

Disadvantages: House rules - make sure you know what rules you are playing before starting the game!

Monopoly is one of the most familiar board game brands on the market, and the various spin offs of the game, from football teams to counties, are numerous. Irrespective of the board, theme or currency however, the basic format of the game is the same - be the last man, woman or child standing at the end, with money in your pocket, having bankrupted the other players. This review bases itself on the classic UK edition of the game, from Old Kent Road to Mayfair.

Players advance around the outside of the board on their go by rolling 2 dice, and moving forward the allocated number of spaces. By landing on the colour coded property squares, railway stations or utility companies, players have the option to buy the property for the stated value on the card, if the property has not yet been bought by another player. If the property is already owned, then rent is due to the owner for the privilege of landing on their property. This is where the fun begins...

Basic rent is due when a player does not yet have a complete set of properties. Complete sets are only obtained through buying (or trading - more on that later) all of the properties within a particular colour band. For example, to have a complete set of Green cards requires the player to own Regent Street, Oxford Street and Bond Street. If a player does own a full set, basic rent is doubled when another player lands on one of these properties.

Things become really interesting when players with full sets of properties begin to invest in their portfolio by building houses and hotels. Varying in cost depending on the location and quality of the properties concerned (the Brown set - Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road are very cheap, Dark Blue - Park Lane and Mayfair, the most expensive), a maximum of 4 houses per property can be added, which cumulatively increase the rent due for every additional house that is present. For example, basic rent may be £10, doubled to £20 with a full set of cards. 1 house could earn the owner £40, 2 houses £80, and so on, until finally the player is able to place the most valuable piece of all onto their property, the hotel. By owning properties with hotels, this is how you begin to make your mark in the game, and if you are lucky with other people landing on the affected spaces, will bring you lots of money.

Elsewhere on the board are the following spaces:

Chance/Community Chest - players take a card from the pile, and carry out the action accordingly. Can be both good and bad, and range from earning money from other players, to being sent to the jail square on the board
Go to Jail - player is sent to jail
Jail - players must roll a double within 3 turns, or pay to exit the jail square
Free Parking - Cash from fines, jail fees etc is placed into the middle of the board, with the player landing on the free parking space winning the total amount of cash there as a prize
Go - Passing go every time you lap the board earns each player £200

Monopoly is as much about luck as it is skill - you need the luck of the dice if you are to land on (or avoid!) the spaces that can change the game. Tactics do play a part however.

In most variations of the game, trading for properties between players is permitted. For example, I may wish to offer another player some cash for one of their properties (usually at an inflated price), or exchange properties directly with one another. Success in the gambles you take during these negotiations is usually what makes or breaks a game - is it worth giving away an expensive property to complete a cheaper but potentially lucrative full set?

My own personal preference is to try and pick up a cheap set as quickly as possible (blue or pink ideally), build houses and hotels until the full set is maximised, then go after a more expensive set. I am always careful in my negotiations, and if one of my properties is highly sought after by another player, make sure that it's not given away cheaply! If the right deal isn't there, don't sell/trade!

Players drop out of the game when they run out money, usually by paying the other players too much money from landing on their valuable hotel spaces. The decline can be postponed and sometimes fought off entirely by mortgaging your properties back to the bank to ease the cash flow worries, but usually this is the beginning of the end.

Once one player has made all of the other players bankrupt, he or she is declared the winner.

Monopoly is - in my opinion - far more enjoyable the more players you have, up to a maximum of 6. Whilst this can prolong the length of the game (law of averages dictate that it's harder to assemble a set of cards), the game is more challenging as a result, but also more fun.

The only slight gripe I have with Monopoly is the variations that are played in different households! Many times have the 'house rules' caused arguments, and the familiar 'we never play it like that!' quote can sometimes make it difficult to agree who is right or wrong. But make sure you know what rules you are playing by before you start, and you'll find Monopoly to be one of the most enjoyable games on the market.

Summary: Best enjoyed with a full complement of 6 players, Monopoly is fun for all the family