Monopoly (aka the game that ruins relationships) is one of my favourite games and clearly the favourite of a lot of other board game fans around the world as it has been around for over 100 years. It started life of 1902 as The Landlord’s Game, before becoming Monopoly in the 1930s. Over the years there have been many versions, including localised versions of towns and cities.
For those that don’t know, Monopoly is a property trading board game, capitalism at its best. Buying properties to place houses and hotels on them to collect rents, whilst trying to earn your fortune and not go bankrupt in the process (whilst trying to bankrupt your fellow landlords at the same time). It is a game for 2-6 players, aged 8+ with a playing time of around 60-90+ minutes.
In the box:
- Gameboard
- Money Pack
- 8 Playing Tokens
- 28 Deed Cards
- 16 Chance Cards
- 16 Community Chest Cards
- 32 Houses
- 12 Hotels
- 2 Dice
- Instructions
I have played Monopoly since I was child, so a long time. It hasn’t changed too much since then except that you can now get localised versions of different cities in the UK and around the world, and in this version that I have been playing, based on the London streets that I remember, there are extra and different playing tokens (gone is the old boot and now we have a duck, dinosaur and penguin).
The aim of the game is for players to make their way around the board buying up properties and trying to create property sets so that that you can build houses and hotels. This is so that you can charge rent to other players that land on them, the more houses or hotels, the bigger the rent. The ultimate goal is to bankrupt your fellow players and make as much money as you can, capitalism at its best (or worst, depending on your outlook)!
Setting up the game to play is easy. Each player picks a playing token and receives £1500 from the bank. Players then make their way around the board, buying up properties, by landing on them or from auction when other players don’t want to (or can’t afford to) buy. But it is not that simple. Buying properties is easy, building on them is harder as you have to complete the colour set of 2 or 3 properties before you can start to buy houses and hotels. Other players can stop your landlord domination and also buy from a colour set you want, stopping you from building on them. But maybe you could strike a deal to trade.
As players go around the board, building their property portfolio, they will also land on other player’s properties, resulting in rent charges. Players can also be sent to prison and lose out on rents. Players can earn money each time they pass go (£200), whilst trying to avoid the dreaded income tax. Whilst growing your coffers from passing go and collecting rents, you can also gain money from the Chance and Community Chest chest – winning second prize in a beauty contest or tax error in your favour, but you could also lose money by advancing to a train station or the dreaded Mayfair when somebody already owns them.
Overall, I have always loved Monopoly and probably always will. It is a fantastic game, but be prepared for a long game, it is a game that can take 1-2 hours (or more) to finish, but the time just flies past.
The board is well laid out with all the properties around the edges and the chance and community chest cards in the centre. The box is also the banker’s tray and has slots to hold each denomination of money and the title deeds cards, making everything very easy to select.
The rules can be a bit complicated initially with regards auctioning of properties, but after a few reads of the instructions and playing some games it all becomes clear very quickly.
It is a very strategic game to play, buying the right properties and having to re-mortgage to afford your bills or purchase other properties. You have to be very shrewd with your money – do you go all out and buy everything or be a bit more selective and careful?
With gameplay lasting around two hours, this is a game that provides hours of fun on your way to becoming a property tycoon, whilst taking enjoyment from relieving other players of their money and bankrupting them. It is a long game to play but is lots of fun and the kids will enjoy it just as much as the adults.
Monopoly is a classic board game that is a good family staple and is found in many homes around the world. Whilst it is a game of capitalism it also does a great job of teaching kids about money and how to spend it wisely and the consequences of spending too much too soon and being reckless.
An excellent board game for family and friends game nights.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £24.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.
