| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this is a video game version of the popular board game Monopoly that offers a few digital extras like new boards and mini-games. It's easy to pick up and play for anyone who's familiar with the game.
America's most commercially successful board game in the U.S., MONOPOLY, is now available in a video game format that lets people compete against each other to see who can be the most successful (and ruthless) capitalist.
The game is narrated by Monopoly's official mascot, Mr. Monopoly (aka Rich Uncle Pennybags), and players take turns rolling virtual dice and advancing their playing piece around a Monopoly board. The first of two game modes, Monopoly Edition, is a straightforward, digital rendition of the board game with all its rules and conventions intact. You can also set house rules by adjusting settings like starting cash amount, tax and mortgage rates, Free Parking payout, and the number of total houses and hotels available. There's a choice of several different Monopoly boards to play on, including Classic and World Editions, plus a slew of unlockable boards with generic themes like Future, Sweet, Cheese, Jungle, Deco and Cardboard. The second mode, Richest Edition, is a variation where you must play short Mario Party-style mini-games to earn properties and advance around the board. Both modes can accommodate one to four players. If less than four people are playing, the game adds computer-controlled players whose skill levels can be adjusted depending on how much of a challenge you want.
Monopoly doesn't offer a lot of extra bells and whistles, or even particularly noteworthy production values (graphics are average and Mr. Monopoly has an annoyingly small reservoir of catchphrases that quickly become tiresome), but if you'd rather play Monopoly on the big screen than at the dining room table, then this game will do the trick.
Families can talk about the role that monopolies play in the economy. In the real world, are monopolies hurtful or harmful? What other types of economic models exist besides the Capitalist model demonstrated in Monopoly? Is this game more fun to play as a board game or as a video game?
| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Party |
| Developer: | Electronic Arts |
| Release date: | October 10, 2008 |
| Price: | $30-40 |
| ESRB rating: | E for (No Descriptors) |
Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.
Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.