Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Review of Handmark's Monopoly
Posted by Brad Adrian in "ARTICLE" @ 06:10 PM
Like most of you, I use my Pocket PC for a lot of different things, and I especially like to play games with it. However, unlike most of you, my hand-eye coordination is so sub-standard that I usually have to bypass the typical shoot-em-up arcade games for the more “cerebral” strategy games. That is why I was so excited to see that Handmark launched a Pocket PC version of Monopoly, especially in light of the great job that they had done with their migration of Scrabble to the Pocket PC.
Still, I wasn’t sure how good a job anybody could do with squeezing the large Monopoly playboard down to fit the small Pocket PC screen.
Features
As soon as I launched Monopoly on my Pocket PC, I could see that Handmark had gone to great lengths to remain faithful to the old-fashioned version. There, crammed into the small screen, was the entire board layout, complete with all the familiar landmarks, like Community Chest, Free Parking, Boardwalk, and that ever-important “Go” icon. Handmark’s attention to detail didn’t stop there, either.
Setting up the game on the Pocket PC starts with the same age-old ritual that Monopoly players have performed since the game was born in 1933: selecting the player tokens. Up to four players can choose which traditional token shapes represent them on the board: iron, race car, battleship, terrier, shoe and hat.
And, just like when playing the original version, the Pocket PC version makes sure that no two players use the same token; so the other age-old ritual – arguing over who gets to use the race car – isn’t necessarily eliminated.
Game play is very faithful to the original version, too: you simply roll the electronic dice and move your token around the electronic board. I like the fact that the rules are automatically enforced, so there’s no question about how a player gets out of jail or when properties can be purchased. However, there are a few Rules options than can be configured, depending upon what “type” of game you want to play. For instance, you can configure whether un-owned properties have to be bought/auctioned when a player lands on them or whether a monetary bonus is earned when someone lands on “Free Parking". Even so, the computer thankfully takes care of all the parts of the game I like the least: making sure tokens are moved the right number of spaces (I can be a distrustful opponent), enforcing the rules (ditto) and keeping track of all the money and transactions (ditto, again).
Even though the playing area on the Pocket PC is a LOT smaller than with the original version, the graphics used make it very easy to progress through even the longest game. When considering whether or not to buy a piece of property, all of the important information is displayed, like the future rent potential of the purchase:
The screen also always shows the exact location of each player’s token, and the icons on the bottom of the screen give a great synopsis of which properties the active player owns.
And, a good comparison of all the players’ holdings is only a quick screen tap away:
Even things like trading or selling properties to raise cash are made straightforward by the graphics:
It does take a little bit of time to learn how to complete some of the transactions, which are a bit more straightforward with the non-electronic version. But, once you learn the few simple steps needed to buy, sell and trade, the game moves very quickly.
Some of the other features include:
• Save and load games
• Beam games to other Pocket PC devices
• In-depth description of gameplay and strategies
• Complete listing of rules
Price
Like some of Handmark’s other games, Monopoly is priced a bit higher than many other Pocket PC games. At $29.99, all but the most devoted players may decide it’s just too expensive.
Availability
You can download both demo and final version of Monopoly from the Handango Web site.
Gotchas
I really have very few negative things to say about this game. As I pointed out, the price may be a bit much for some people. And, the tab used to launch the menu items is pretty small and was a tad difficult for me to accurately tap. To me, though, these are very small nitpicks.
Conclusions
I have to say that this is the most faithful incarnation of Monopoly that I’ve ever used. Everything -- the rules, graphics, options, setup – comes together to make this a great game. For me, it comes down to three important points. First, this game makes it possible for me to play Monopoly even when there are no able (or willing ) human opponents available. Second, Handmark has automated and simplified all the parts of the game that I don’t like, especially the book-keeping and scoring. Third, this electronic version makes it virtually impossible to cheat (and believe me, I tried).
So, if you really like to play Monopoly (or would like to learn), don’t be put off by the $29.99 price tag; this is one of a few games that I feel is definitely worth the price.
But, hey, want another opinion? Ryan at pocketpcBlast has written a review of Monopoly, too.
Still, I wasn’t sure how good a job anybody could do with squeezing the large Monopoly playboard down to fit the small Pocket PC screen.
Features
As soon as I launched Monopoly on my Pocket PC, I could see that Handmark had gone to great lengths to remain faithful to the old-fashioned version. There, crammed into the small screen, was the entire board layout, complete with all the familiar landmarks, like Community Chest, Free Parking, Boardwalk, and that ever-important “Go” icon. Handmark’s attention to detail didn’t stop there, either.
Setting up the game on the Pocket PC starts with the same age-old ritual that Monopoly players have performed since the game was born in 1933: selecting the player tokens. Up to four players can choose which traditional token shapes represent them on the board: iron, race car, battleship, terrier, shoe and hat.
And, just like when playing the original version, the Pocket PC version makes sure that no two players use the same token; so the other age-old ritual – arguing over who gets to use the race car – isn’t necessarily eliminated.
Game play is very faithful to the original version, too: you simply roll the electronic dice and move your token around the electronic board. I like the fact that the rules are automatically enforced, so there’s no question about how a player gets out of jail or when properties can be purchased. However, there are a few Rules options than can be configured, depending upon what “type” of game you want to play. For instance, you can configure whether un-owned properties have to be bought/auctioned when a player lands on them or whether a monetary bonus is earned when someone lands on “Free Parking". Even so, the computer thankfully takes care of all the parts of the game I like the least: making sure tokens are moved the right number of spaces (I can be a distrustful opponent), enforcing the rules (ditto) and keeping track of all the money and transactions (ditto, again).
Even though the playing area on the Pocket PC is a LOT smaller than with the original version, the graphics used make it very easy to progress through even the longest game. When considering whether or not to buy a piece of property, all of the important information is displayed, like the future rent potential of the purchase:
The screen also always shows the exact location of each player’s token, and the icons on the bottom of the screen give a great synopsis of which properties the active player owns.
And, a good comparison of all the players’ holdings is only a quick screen tap away:
Even things like trading or selling properties to raise cash are made straightforward by the graphics:
It does take a little bit of time to learn how to complete some of the transactions, which are a bit more straightforward with the non-electronic version. But, once you learn the few simple steps needed to buy, sell and trade, the game moves very quickly.
Some of the other features include:
• Save and load games
• Beam games to other Pocket PC devices
• In-depth description of gameplay and strategies
• Complete listing of rules
Price
Like some of Handmark’s other games, Monopoly is priced a bit higher than many other Pocket PC games. At $29.99, all but the most devoted players may decide it’s just too expensive.
Availability
You can download both demo and final version of Monopoly from the Handango Web site.
Gotchas
I really have very few negative things to say about this game. As I pointed out, the price may be a bit much for some people. And, the tab used to launch the menu items is pretty small and was a tad difficult for me to accurately tap. To me, though, these are very small nitpicks.
Conclusions
I have to say that this is the most faithful incarnation of Monopoly that I’ve ever used. Everything -- the rules, graphics, options, setup – comes together to make this a great game. For me, it comes down to three important points. First, this game makes it possible for me to play Monopoly even when there are no able (or willing ) human opponents available. Second, Handmark has automated and simplified all the parts of the game that I don’t like, especially the book-keeping and scoring. Third, this electronic version makes it virtually impossible to cheat (and believe me, I tried).
So, if you really like to play Monopoly (or would like to learn), don’t be put off by the $29.99 price tag; this is one of a few games that I feel is definitely worth the price.
But, hey, want another opinion? Ryan at pocketpcBlast has written a review of Monopoly, too.
