Monopoly Electronic Banking Review

Skills: How to buy and sell properties.

Overview of the Game: Buy and sell properties, build houses and collect rent. While playing kids learn how to count money and make decisions.

Game Twist: This is the updated version of the classic Monopoly game with paper money. This version uses bank cards instead of paper money.

Ah, Monopoly... can there be a more cherished memory than gathering the family together, laughing, talking about your day, and then getting out a family board game to play? Many people would say no. After all, Monopoly has been around for nearly 100 years, with roots in one of the bleakest times in American history: The Great Depression. However, the world has changed a great deal since the 1930s, and now, so has Monopoly, what with the iconic gaming franchise having introduced a new Electronic Banking Edition. Plenty of people know and love the original version of Monopoly - after all, it's almost as universal a childhood memory as sandboxes and blanket forts - but not everyone will be as familiar with this newest of iterations. With that in mind, here's a quick review of the new spin on this classic game.

Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition works in much the same way as its classic predecessor. The goal is to amass wealth (property & cash) while sending your competitors to the breadlines - or jail, if all else fails! However, there are some new twists, including new, more modern locations, new pieces, and new Chance & Community Chest cards. Of course, the most important change is the elimination of cash in favor of bank cards.

True to its roots, Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition is a family game, and is suitable for players of eight years and up. Just make sure that you keep an eye on younger players, as the pieces can present a choking hazard.

Pros: Pros of this new edition include an effortless setup and cleanup (no wads of cash to deal with!), new, more culturally relevant locations (You can own Hollywood or chunks of the Internet), and hilarious new pieces, like a Segway and those annoying little purse-Chihuahuas that celebrities just love.

Cons: Every game has them, and this new edition of Monopoly isn't immune. First, the gloat factor of this game is severely diminished, in that players can no longer revel in their vast piles of money. Also, there have been complaints of the card reader or money machine lacking a screen of sufficient brightness.

Even in the electronic version, kids are able to pick up on the important lessons in managing money while playing Monopoly. The game does a good job of staying true to its roots and combining the slightly cut-throat fun we've all come to expect with a new, modern overhaul. Even with the changes, it's safe to say that this newest of twists on the old classic will bring plenty of enjoyment to every generation of players.