MONOPOLY Millionaire: Livin' the life

According to Hasbro Toys, more than 275 million Monopoly games have been sold worldwide and it's available in 111 countries in 43 languages. With so many copies and versions available, how could the Hasbro game designers come up with something different? Enter MONOPOLY Millionaire.

MONOPOLY Millionaire is different. It has new rules, new cards, new money and cool, new upgradeable game movers. The best part of this version of the game is the time it takes to play. The longest game of Monopoly ever played ran 70 days straight, but Millionaire is fast. Instead of spending hours trying to bankrupt your opponents, all you need to do is earn a million dollars and the game ends.

The emphasis of the game is on fun. The theme is living life like a millionaire. Two to four players compete to collect properties with new names and dollar amounts. Game movers include a car, plane, boat and motorbike that can be upgraded in three levels to fancier versions (start with a compact and end up with a limo). Each upgrade increases rewards and risks on Fortune cards drawn, income each time you pass GO and game effects.

I'm a sucker for attractive game parts. In MONOPOLY Millionaire, the dog-eared paper money is gone. In its place is a stunning, colorful array of cardboard money tiles. The tiles sit in a handsome carrying case at the center of the board. They feel great in your hands and are satisfying to pass around and collect.

The biggest selling point of MONOPOLY Millionaire is the playing time. You can finally play MONOPOLY with four players in under an hour. The cool game movers, theme, money, cards and board are just icing on the cake. For Monopoly fans, this is a must buy because it's so different.

Ryan Morgenegg is a multimedia specialist for the Deseret News.