Review: Monopoly - Capitalism Has Never Been So Portable
by Allan Curtis
December 13, 2010
Overview
Monopoly for iPad brings the classic boardgame of healthy capitalism and cutthroat business to the iPad, sans all the annoying paper money, dice and tiny counters that get knocked off tables. Whew!Features
Monopoly for iPad features bright colorful graphics, the complete game of monopoly in digital form, a tutorial for new players and multiplayer locally on one iPad or over bluetooth and WiFi.The Good
Monopoly is a classic game and the iPad does an excellent job of bringing it to a new audience without all the fiddly bits.
For new players there is a tutorial, which teaches both how to interact with the game on the device and the rules of monopoly.
The standard single player mode offers 1-4 players, with any number of those players being AI controlled or human, allowing you to pass the device back and forth to take turns. Play is very fast, as an easy touch interface with text lets you perform tasks quickly and rolling the dice is simply a matter of flicking; how hard you flick controls how hard you throw the dice, which is a nice touch.
The AI does a good job and will ruthlessly expand, trading for properties and building houses as soon as it is able. They also do quite well at auctions, spending big money on properties important to them, like the matching utilities company.
The game looks as nice as a boardgame can. Player pieces sparkle and shine and when moving they move in the style of the object, such as the dog gamboling along to the sound of his bell collar and the car racing along. The animations are neat and give the game some flair.
You can pick from several different rooms to play your game in, and as you buy properties and gain money, your side of the board shows all your property cards and money neatly arranged, just like you would in real life.
The board and its text is very easy to read and there is also a inspection mode, 
where you can zoom down close to the board to easily see prices and what houses a property has.
Soundwise, the game has fitting era music, with a distinct 50s sound and sounds for each piece moving, from the tinkle of the dog's bell, to the crazed squeaking of the wheelbarrow and is well done. More music would have been nice however.
The Bad
It would be nice for EA to support some type of online multiplayer, and not limited to local play over WiFi or Bluetooth. The $10 price seems like a lot in comparison to the $2.99 iPhone version.
