Players role the dice and move clockwise around the board. if they land on a property no-one else owns they can buy it. The object is to buy properties, preferably in sets as these earn more rent. As the game progresses, players land on each others owned properties and have to pay rent, which increases as houses and hotels are added to the properties. The overall object is to bankrupt all the other players and so win the game.

And that is Monopoly in a nutshell. Over the years, the game gained properties of that country and then of cities in that country, spawning hundreds of variants to the basic game.

But how many play to rules taught to them by their parents and even their parents before that, without ever reading the rules themselves? many would be surprised to learn they are playing by many a house rule, such as putting money on Free Parking. Or, not auctioning an unowned property when the person who lands on it chooses not to buy it?

It may seldom get played by serious gamers these days, but to its credit it does give people an interest in playing board games and who knows, they become a 'real' boardgamer one day!

Review by Brian