Monopoly PC game
by Amanda Nettgen
(USA)
Monopoly PC game
★★★★
+ A very faithful conversion of the board game classic
+ Play alone or with friends
+ Nicely done graphics and sound enhance, rather than getting in the way, of the experience
– Just Monopoly -- no bells and whistles or special themes or boards included
Top Computer Board Games
Unfortunately, Hasbro has withdrawn the Monopoly download editions, but search on Amazon for the games by clicking here!
This PC version plays just like the timeless board game classic, minus the set up and with a few added statistics.
Chances are if it’s your second time playing the Parker Brothers Monopoly PC gameyou’ll be loading a saved game, as the virtual version is just like the physical form in that it takes forever to win.
If you’re starting fresh, your first job is to choose a token (no new ones here), then add up to three computer and/or human players. You can choose the difficulty of the AI players (but not your friends).
You can modify how you’d like to play by adjusting a slew of House Rules. You need to do this before you play, however, and not later in the game when you encounter how annoying it is to have to own an entire color set before you can build a house. House Rules I have always played by in the real game of Monopoly include collecting all tax money when someone lands on Free Parking and playing without that pesky even build law.
Play in the Monopoly PC game is the same as in regular Monopoly: roll the (rotating) dice – twice if you get doubles – and do laps around the board buying pretty much everything you can (the title deed will pop up with the option to purchase it or send it to auction).
When you land on somebody else’s property (denoted by a clone of their token at the top), you’re forced to pay up. Rent increases as the landlord remodels the place with houses and hotels, and personal money is replenished by $200 each time you pass GO.
You can suggest trades during any turn, but don’t assume you’ll always be able to con the AIs. The goal is to be the last player standing after all the others have gone bankrupt.
The added features of the Monopoly PC game are slim but useful. A running history of each move that’s been made is recorded in a box to the right, along with a timer telling you how much of your life has been spent playing the particular Monopoly game.
Clicking on BANK allows you to see which properties are still available at a quick glance. Similarly, selecting a fellow player’s profile will show you the breakdown of their ownerships.
It’s easier to save ongoing games with the computer version rather than have your months-long Monopoly hogging a coffee table somewhere (and then having you forget whose turn it is and whose money is whose).
The added animations of the game are barely noticeable, but the graphics are very good.
My complaint is that the Monopoly PC game is just vanilla Monopoly – no new playing pieces, different boards, nor fun features. It makes me wonder about the customer audience; are there really enough people out there who don’t already own the 3D version of Monopoly that would buy this take in lieu of the board game?
This Monopoly game caters to a small audience, I think. It gets a decent rating because it’s, well, Monopoly and is a solid copy of the franchise with streamlined graphics. You’re better off buying one of those themed Monopolys if you want some variety, though.
