Is your family also obsessed with Monopoly? Do you have someone who always seems to win? Nicky is particularly gifted with this game and often outplays us. With the release of Monopoly for Sore Losers edition, part of one of the Hasbro Christmas gifts I wrote about, the game is turned on its head and presents new challenges. You may think you’re winning in the traditional rules of the game but once you become Mr Monopoly everything works backwards.
The layout of the board is the same and you get dealt the same amount of money. The board is a darker colour though. Even the dice are black. It’s a representation of how things can turn around either way for you.
The icons for this game are hilarious. We have a sinking ship, a sulking penguin, a clamped car and a dinosaur throwing his head back and roaring. Even the dog has given up, lying down in a pathetic mess.
Every time something bad happens to you (you have to pay something like rent, taxes, go to jail) you get a sore loser token. Once you have four of these you get to be Mr Monopoly. Now if you land on taxes, you get that from the bank. If you land on someone’s property, they have to pay you. If you get sent to jail, you can send someone else. See what I mean about it all being backwards?
The best part of all, if you are Mr Monopoly, is that every time someone, or you, rolls a double, you get a house. You can put this house anywhere you want. It doesn’t even have to be your property. It doesn’t even have to be a set. I really like this because often in this game it becomes very difficult to get a set. And getting a free house when you’re Mr Monopoly is much better than having to buy it yourself. Working on the premise that these houses might count against you when someone else is Mr Monopoly, this is definitely the more economical way to get your houses.
You can do really well in this game if you are Mr Monopoly and you land on someone else’s houses. You can also do well if a normal person lands on your houses too. We are still working out our tactics for this game but at least it doesn’t feel like the stalemate one winner one loser scenario which often happens. You can be a winner one moment and a loser the next. The game ends when all the properties are bought and everyone returns to the beginning. The person with the most money wins.
Our experience so far? Instead of tears there seems to be more of a balance and the game is less drawn out. Just because you think you have it all one moment, you can lose it the next. I think the only thing I didn’t like was some of the Chance / Community Chest cards which ask you to choose your favourite player and give them a sore loser token, or asks you who always has your back and give them money. On Christmas Day I was feeling particularly sympathetic towards my mom who was trying to understand the game, so I sided with her. But that wasn’t a good message for Nicky. Ag, maybe I take things too seriously, it’s just a game. My mom won on that day but since then both Nicky and I have taken turns winning.
What do you think of this game?
You can buy it at your local toy store such as Toys R Us.
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