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.