Monopoly Zapped is not your ordinary Monopoly game. It is a more in-depth and tech-savvy version of the classic. I asked my 11 year old son if he would like to play a game of monopoly with me. His reply, “Umm.. Yeah, I don’t think so.” It’s sad but true, with so many stimulating video and computer games out there today, a simple board game does not sound so tempting.
However, once I started playing this with my younger 7 year son, my 11 year old curiously wondered over to check out the fun that was going on. When he saw that this game used the iphone to charge and credit your own little “charge card” and he saw the great little mini games that were played on the iPhone when one of us landed on “chance” or “community chest” he was hooked.
He asked us, “Could you please start the game over? I would really like to play too.” Umm.. gee wish he would have thought of that 45 minutes earlier when we weren’t in the middle of the game.
Fortunately for him, I landed on one of my younger sons’ hotel properties and went bankrupt. This game handles up to four players, each with their own token and charge card. The iPhone app serves as the banker and lets you swipe your charge card to buy properties or rent when you land on an opponent’s already purchased property. The app will then charge your card and credit your opponents.
The added iPhone app really adds some neat elements to the game. The chance and community chest tiles are much more interactive. When you land on one of these, players compete against each other in little mini-games to see who will have to pay, or who will inherit.
Property cards are still used and distributed when lands on and buy the property. You just enter the amount that you purchasing the property for, swipe your card and it’s yours.
If you find yourself landing in jail, a new option is now available to “break out”. You then get to play a fun little mini-game where you fling yourself over the wall and try to let in the getaway car. This is not as easy as it may sound.
All in all the rules and the board are still the same with this zapped version of Monopoly. Just a lot more fun and inter-activeness with the iPhone or iPod app as it’s a new addition.
