Monopoly, the family game night classic, has made its way to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. Offering all of the strategy and fun of the original, Monopoly for Windows Phone 7 is the perfect game for casual gamers looking to kill some time with their Windows Phone. To see what makes Monopoly stand out, see the full review after the jump.
Interface
There are several different elements to the UI in Monopoly. Primarily you will interact with the menu placed across the bottom of the main screen. This menu allows you to begin and end your turn, as well as linking you to the trade and property management screens. Rolling the dice can be accomplished by shaking your device, though I found myself simply tapping the screen to roll.
Monopoly does allow pass-and-play multiplayer, meaning players take turns holding the device and playing their turn. Simply select multiple human players (up to 4) on the new game screen.
Features
Personally, Monopoly is one of those games that just isn’t the same if you can’t play the way you’ve played since you were little. Fortunately Electronic Arts offers the option to configure house rules whenever a new game is started, making Monopoly fun no matter what set of rules you learned.
Monopoly is also an Xbox Live capable game, so achievements can be earned as you play. Leaderboards are also included, allowing you to compare your statistics against your Xbox Live friends. Over the air multiplayer would have been a major step up, but is unfortunately not included.
Conclusion
Microsoft has managed to make the Windows Phone Marketplace fairly robust in terms of new smart-phone users looking for casual games that they will recognize. Monopoly is just one example of a game that people have been playing for years and will be completely comfortable purchasing for their new phone.
While the UI is not revolutionary and the lack of live multiplayer is fairly disappointing, Monopoly is one of those games that you almost have to buy for your phone. The biggest upside is the fact that it is a game that is familiar to everyone, and you can start a casual game by yourself or with a friend without a learning curve of any kind.
Monopoly is available from the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace (open’s Zune) for $4.99.
