Monopoly

"Parker Brothers Goes Electronic"

I don't know how or when Monopoly for the SNES got into my collection of Super Nintendo games, but sure enough there it is. More than likely, when the Super Nintendo was in its last days of triumph on the eve of the Nintendo 64 this would have been one of the games I picked up on the clearance shelf of the video store. The question that arises from turning the most popular board game in history into a video game has to be asked: Can the Super Nintendo withstand long hours of play? Of course the answer is yes. The real question is whether the player can stand it without being tempted to cheat.

The developers of Monopoly did a very good job of making this game as enjoyable as possible. I for one have never been able to complete a board game of Monopoly no matter which spin is put on it. It does not surprise me at all that Monopoly is developed by its original makers-Parker Brothers. So they know what to improve upon and give you plenty of options when playing this game. If you play as a party you can play up to 8 and trade controllers around when the other person's turn is up. You can control the pace and speed of the game as well as play against up to 8 CPU players with various difficulty. The other part of the gameplay is that you can give yourself an added boost to your funds and cheat out the competition. Or, if you decide to play fair but have a life to live, you can turn your shoe, car, or thimble over to the CPU and let it play for you. So Parker Brothers lets you have a short experience or the original never-ending experience of Monopoly through the SNES transition.

The graphics and sound are not too great and are what make this game get a little bit boring. There are animations for the pieces to travel around the game and when you land in jail. Short music bits are played as well when something happens. I think the only dialogue is when the bars of the prison cell open up and you are told: "Don't be coming back here now." Mr. Moneybags is portrayed in this scene. Other than that, there is not much to speak for about the graphics and sound of this game.

Final Recommendation
Monopoly is nothing more than the board game transferred to the Super Nintendo with no real side items to play. Like the board game, it can take forever to finish if you play it the regular way, but this is also why Parker Brothers allows you to let the CPU take over and if the computer is still playing through the night you can take it back over in the morning. Monopoly is a great party game that you can get up to eight people to play on (by sharing controllers of course). So if you are up for a game of Monopoly and don't want to count out the play money, then this is a great choice.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/01/08

Game Release: Monopoly (US, September 1992)