My two children stopped in their tracks when they spied this game on the shelf at our local store. The bright, colorful graphics on the box, featuring all their favorite Disney characters, put this game at the top of their Christmas list. Fortunately, Santa delivered.

Monopoly, The Disney Edition, is similar to the standard version of Monopoly, but if you ever wanted to introduce your child to Monopoly, this is the version to choose. When opening the board, you will be dazzled at the bright colors of the spaces, and the crowd of Disney characters in the center of the board.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT?
Besides the bright colorful board, there are other Disney touches that make this game really special. Instead of buying real estate, players can buy Disney Films, from Steamboat Willie to 101 Dalmatians. The instruction booklet even has historical information about each film. There are no railroads on this board, only special Disney transportation, including Aladdin's flying carpet, Captain Hook's pirate ship, Cinderella's coach and Cruella De Vil's car. Instead of the familiar community Chest and Chance cards, there are Showtime and Magic Moments cards, each having some type of Disney trivia thrown into them (i.e. Dumbo's magic feather lets you fly. Collect $100.00). These are really a delight to any child familiar with Disney films, as it helps them to recall favorite moments from each film. White Rabbit’s Cottage and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle have replaced houses and hotels. In place of the Monopoly money, players deal in Disney Dollars, featuring Scrooge McDuck. Finally, there are eight characters from Disney movies to choose from for pawns, including: Dumbo, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Jungle book and Pinocchio. The only spaces on the board that will be familiar to Monopoly fans are the four corners, Go, Jail, Free Parking and Go to Jail.

Ages 8 to adult
2 to 8 players

OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of the game is to become the richest player by purchasing films and renting them to other players, thus accumulating the most money and property.

HOW TO PLAY
The board is set up with the Magic Moments and Showtime cards in their places, face down. One player is chosen as banker and distributes $1500.00 to all players. Each player picks a pawn and starts at Go. Players then take turns rolling the dice and upon landing on a space, may do several things depending on where they land. If available, they may buy rights to the film. If other players land on the square, they must then pay rent. If another player owns the film, they will have to pay rent. Or, if it is a Magic Moments or Showtime space, they must draw a card and follow instructions. Once a player owns all films in a color group, they may place a house or castle on the film, increasing the rent earned. The play continues in this manner until all players except for one are bankrupt. The last player with money and or property wins!

IS THIS GAME FOR CHILDREN?
YES!! If you loved Monopoly somewhere along your life and were waiting to introduce it to your child, this is the version to do it with. Buying Snow White or Bambi is so much more fun for them than buying property that has no meaning. It also improves counting skills and teaches the basics of money management (not to much though, it is still "funny money"). The recommended age is 8 to adult, but I found that my six year old could play with only minimal help from an adult. For children, I would highly recommend the short game version to start with. In this version, each player is dealt three films at random at the start of the game. If in jail you can get right out by paying $50.00, and the game ends when the first player goes bankrupt. This shorter version lasts only 60 to 90 minutes, and is much more suitable for children who have short attention spans.

SUMMARY
Overall, I would say this is the best board game I have ever purchased for my children. They really love it and even play by themselves! The magic of Disney really shines through here, and if you or your child have ever laughed at Snow White dancing with the Dwarfs, cheered on Buzz Lightyear or believed that puppets can become real boys, this game is a must have.

The retail price (29.99 in my area) is somewhat high for a board game, but well worth the price. I was able to purchase it for 21.99 on sale.





Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 21.99
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older