Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition

Product Details

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.

Classic Fun with Modern Twists
Aside from the electronic banking, the basic rules of this game have not changed from the Monopoly everybody remembers. Tokens, houses, hotels, chance and community chest cards, cardboard property deeds -- if you've played the classic version, you'll know how to play. The board is different in how it folds up in the box, but once you spread it out, it's the same.

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

Product Reviews

(4 stars) - updated fun
very entertaining. much more fun than the first version. the currency is in millions which makes it much more business like and the cards make it more modern

(1 stars) - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
The Good: My 7 year old son likes playing with the credit card and is learning decimal arithmetic.

The Bad: This game is an atrocious twist on a classic game. The prices are 'updated' by multiplying everything by 10,000. I guess their just taking into account the hyperinflation we are about to have in the US. The credit card can't show you your balance and you're left guessing what you can afford. Can anyone say 'credit card fraud' ;-) Every time I pay rent I have no idea how much my kid is actually taking off my card.

The Ugly: Everything is sponsored. Visa branded the cards and the machine. The properties are sponsored by sports arenas and tourist attractions.....

So I don't recommend this...but if must buy it for kid who really really likes the idea see "The Good".

(4 stars) - Disappointed
I would bet that I haven't played the classic version of monopoly more than 3 times in the past 15 years. However, I must have played it many times as a kid... I remember most of the property names, most of their prices, and so on.

This electronic banking edition is based on the "Here and Now" Monopoly edition. I found the "modernization" of the game to be unnecessary -- basically multiplying every single number by 10,000 and then labeling everything with "K" (for numbers in the thousands) or by decimal-point numbers with "M" (for numbers in the millions).

The updated metal tokens are nice. For some reason, the "electronic banking" version doesn't include the stack-able skyscraper pieces (found in the non-electronic "Here and Now" edition) -- opting for the old house and hotel markers. These never quite fit; four houses being slightly wider than the space provided. Seems like the skyscraper markers are often cited as the one noticeably superior feature of the "Here and Now" edition, so it was disappointing not to get them in the electronic banking version.

The electronic banking feature is itself a double-edged sword. It does have a "coolness factor." It makes setup and cleanup slightly easier. My wife figured that it would prevent lost money. It also avoids certain "making change" annoyances. However, it's SLOW and kinda clumsy. Even after playing this game several times, we sometimes reverse cards, making transactions go backwards (they all look very similar). This would never happen with paper money. This also sucks away some of the educational value. I was hoping that my kids would practice adding and subtracting (they're in 1st and 2nd grade). Having the electronic calculator eliminates the exercise. With numbers like 280,000 and 1,750,000 to work with -- labeled 280K and 1.75M -- the math is too hard for them, anyway (for no discernable reason).

All in all, though, monopoly is an awesome game, and that still goes for this electronic banking version. We are enjoying it a lot, and in all likelihood you and your families will enjoy it, too.

(5 stars) - Family fun
We like to play games with our kids and with friends. But we never played much monopoly, it seemed too involved. Now, with this electronic version, playing is much faster and more fun! With no money to be counted the pace picks up and you can actually enjoy the game!

(4 stars) - much faster
The game goes much faster when your not stopping to count out paper money. However I wish the game board was the old Atlantic City. Guess its just because I'm a Jersey girl.

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