What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Fun family game combines chance, strategy, and financial savvy The Bad: Electronic banking prevents cheating In a Nutshell: A contemporary twist on the best-selling board game At a Glance Ages: 8 and older Requires: 2 AA batteries; 2-6 players

Updated pieces and properties give this special edition a truly global feel. View larger.

Electronic banking eliminates bill counting. View Larger.

The rules of play are simple. On each turn, a player rolls the dice and moves that number of squares. When you land on an open property, you have the option to buy it. If another player owns the property, you'll have to pay them rent. Special spaces allow you to draw a community chest or chance card, require you to pay taxes, or send you jail. Once you own all the properties in a color group, you can build houses and hotels on them, increasing their value. Options like mortgaging property or trading it to your creditors keep the game interesting if you start running out of cash.

Traditionally, the game continues until only one player remains. However, the instructions also offer options for speeding the game along. You may appreciate playing for a set amount of time, since the world record for the longest Monopoly is 70 days!

Unique Pieces Bring the World of Monopoly up to Speed
Here and Now: The World Edition of Monopoly features cities from around across the globe, including New York, London, Shanghai, and Istanbul. Before the game was produced, millions of people from all over the world voted on which cities should be included. Each property space is completed with a colorful photograph, which makes the board itself a unique centerpiece and conversation starter. Traditional utilities and railroads have been replaced with modern transportation options and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

Six movers are chosen at random from the 24 available pieces for inclusion in each game. You might find a windmill, a soccer ball, or a kangaroo in your set. Similarly, the houses and hotels have been updated to reflect international structures. Another nice touch is the community chest and chance cards featuring quick "Did you know?" facts. These let you learn tidbits about Rio Carnival, Munich's traditional Christmas market, the earliest British "passport," and more while you play.

Electronic Banking Comes to the Monopoly World
Perhaps the biggest addition to this version is electronic money management. The banker unit offers two slots--one for paying money and one for receiving money. You'll have to keep tabs on the millions (M) and thousands (K) when entering numbers, and make sure each card is inserted correctly, but overall, the unit makes handling transactions easy. It also makes taking a break from a game and coming back to it later simple by saving player information until you clear it.

Another exciting feature of the electronic unit is the way it monitors deals. If a player lands on an unowned property and doesn't want to buy it for the asking price, then the banker must auction that property to the highest bidder. The deal button on the banker unit randomly times each auction, so players don't know if they have 13 or 50 seconds to try and outsmart other bidders.

All these features ensure that this edition will be a big a hit with new and veteran Monopoly players alike, making it a great pick for game night.

What's in the Box
Game board, banker unit, 6 randomly selected movers, 28 Title Deed Cards, 16 Chance cards, 16 Community Chess cards, 6 Monopoly Bank Cards, 32 houses, 12 hotels, 2 dice, and an instruction booklet.

Includes a gameboard, title deed cards, money and banker's tray, six Littlest Pet Shop pet pawns, 16 catnip cards, 16 doggie treat cards, 12 dogs homes, 32 pet carriers, two dice and instructions. Tokens include Buzz Lightyear, Boo and Sulley, Nemo, Mr. Incredible, Lightning McQueen and Remy. For 2 to 6 players.

Updated from the original game, the Banking Edition features updated tokens, money system, and more. View larger.

This version of Monopoly features bank card accounts. View larger.

The tokens have changed to reflect today's culture. Instead of irons and racing cars, the tokens depict modern icons such as a Segway and a tin of Altoids. Instead of railroads, there are airports. The utilities are Internet service providers and cell phone services. Properties have also been updated -- from the upscale blue Times Square to the economy purple Texas Stadium. In this game, you can go to jail for identity theft or lose $1 million when a virus infects your computer network. And of course, property values are exponentially higher than in the original game.

The big switch, of course, is the electronic banking. Each player starts with $15 million in their bank card account, and the banker adds amounts (such as when the player passes go) or subtracts (such as when the player pays to get out of jail) by inserting the player's card in the plus or minus slot of the Banker Unit. When one player has to pay another player, the banker debits or credits each account as appropriate.

Monopoly for Right Now
The electronic banking is neat and easy to handle, and as an added educational bonus, the player who takes on the banker role will quickly become familiar with basic bookkeeping concepts. The bank cards operate more like debit than credit, so players will learn responsible money management, not how to run up credit card debt.

This version of Monopoly doesn't play significantly differently than the original. The game can still take hours to play, and the instructions offer several alternatives for those who want speedier play. The updates introduce a few elements of surprise along the way, but for the most part it's still the same great Monopoly that will provide the same kind of family fun with some surprising, up-to-date twists.

Pros

• Same basic game play, but with up-to-date references
• Electronic banking works well, easy to learn
• Teaches responsible money management
• Fun for both kids and adults

• Player customizations might not work with the new version
• Updated references will eventually become out of date, too