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Monopoly for Palm OS
February 25, 2002
Installation is typical of most Palm OS applications, and takes up about 130K on your handheld (plus any games that you choose to save so that you can play them later). Start up a new game and you’ll find that you have several different computer opponents to play against, and they all have very different personalities and playing styles. Watch out for Malcolm, as he’ll try to grab up all the railroads— land on one of his spots, and it’s $200 rent every time. Pick up to three opponents and you’re ready to go! Shake the dice and move around the board just as you remember, snapping up properties and hoping to get a monopoly on a set of three so that you can build houses and hotels and watch the money start rolling in.
The game moves quickly to keep the excitement level up while still providing all sorts of tools to help you play effectively. Since this isn’t the actual board game, you don’t have access to the little mortgage cards with information on each property, so it’s nice to know that you can tap on any square on the board and get all the information you need. I especially like the game summary screen, since it shows a graphical picture of what each person owns, including properties, railroads, and utilities, plus available cash. If one of the colored property squares isn’t filled in for any of the players, it’s still for sale— and of course you have to watch out when you see that one of the players has a monolopy— that’s when the houses and hotels start appearing. Land on one of those squares and you’re in a lot of trouble, just like in the original game.
Be aware too that there aren’t any sound effects, which I appreciate. No worries about anyone finding out what I’m really doing in that boring meeting, and they would quickly get repetitive anyway— I could imagine dice rolling sounds, as well as a miniature cash register going “ka-ching” when someone has to pay rent. Everything else though is exquisite, from the graphics to the gameplay, which is completely faithful to the original. You even get to choose your token when you start the game, and the Community Chest and Chance cards are exactly as I remember, from the “$10 for second prize in a beauty contest” to those coveted “get out of jail free” cards. The game is challenging but not overly difficult, due to the large part that random luck plays in the game due to the dice rolls. I’ve only won a couple of times in the many games that I’ve played, but it’s always fun whether I’m rolling in dough or on my way to the poorhouse.
To be honest, I hope that Handmark doesn’t make any more of these classic games anytime soon, because I’m having a really hard time getting my work done! Monopoly for the Palm OS is indeed another winner that anyone who likes board games should enjoy immensely. It’s available for $29.99 at the Handmark web site. A bit expensive, but well worth it if you like this kind of game.
PocketGoddess rating for Handmark Monopoly: 
