Monopoly Streets

If you're a fan of the board game, you will love Monopoly Streets. The three-dimensional graphics are a hoot (watching an avatar hop around in the giant shoe, say, or seeing one surf along on the iron); and Mr. Monopoly makes for a very charming and likable host. The many, many ways in which you can customize your game mean that pretty much anyone (even those people who've always hated Monopoly because it's too long) can find a way to play that's appealing to them. One highlight is the property auctions, during which all four players frantically raise and lower their bids until time is called and the highest bidder gets the deed. There's an entire strategy to those auctions alone, in which you may not actually want to spend your money on a property, but force your opponents to overspend instead. Monopoly, as a board game, always flirts with becoming dull or repetitive, but in this video game format, it feels fresh and exciting.

Online interaction: Online play is available on all three consoles. With PS3 or Xbox 360, unmoderated voice chat can be a part of that online experience, so that kids could hear things they shouldn't. Parents don't have to allow this option and can disable it by using parental controls on their consoles.