Don't have to dig to bottom of the closet to find Monopoly Junior
Written: Feb 05 '03 (Updated Feb 05 '03)
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Pros: How else will your child learn to say "I want to be the green paleontologist."
Cons: Box needs taped reinforcement
The Bottom Line: You are the best judge of your child's ability. Check the whole review to see if it would be a good game for him or her
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| jnbmoore's Full Review: Milton Bradley Monopoly Jr. Dig'N Dinos |
Monopoly.
The game everyone owns but no one plays. Or if they do they rarely finish.
Admit it. It's true. I have two unopened Monopoly games in my game closet -- one is the Rochester, NY edition, the other the Taiwan version. Will they ever get played? Maybe. To completion? Who knows?
What would you say if I said that I had a Monopoly brand game not only got played weekly but also is played multiple times to completion? And by a monkey girl who won't be five till next week?
I'll admit that it's not regular Monopoly, but one of the Monopoly Junior games. Because we are in a dinosaur stage at our house, Dig'n Dinos appeared at our house.
What do you get for your money?
The vast majority of folks know what the Monopoly board is like. The Monopoly Junior board is patterned after the full sized board with a few exceptions. Instead of there being three properties in some colors, you only need to own two to own the entire color. However, the colors follow the same pattern as the full sized board.
Each side of the board features dinosaurs of different historical periods. These periods are identified by "Roll Again" spaces that replace the traditional railroads. Instead of a "Free Ride" square to gain "extra" money there is "Dig'n Dino Funds". There is no "Jail"; however, you may find yourself paying "$3 to visit the tar pit".
That's the other nice thing with this game. The only money that is included is $1, $2, $3, $4, and $5. The most that needs to be paid at any one time is $10.
There is no "Community Chest" but there are "Chance" cards. The "Chance" cards may tell you to pay money or to travel somewhere else. Monkey Girl's favorite "Chance" cards are the ones that give you a free fossil of a certain color.
The playing pieces are four different colored Paleontologists and matching colored fossils to stake your claim on the board. There are no divisions of houses and hotels. You either own something or you don't.
For each of the 16 dinosaurs mentioned on the board, there is a Dino Bio Card. One side has a picture of the dinosaur. The other is filled with facts including a pronunciation guide, type of dinosaur, suborder, Habitat, Time period, and where Fossils have been found. There is also a short paragraph about the dinosaur.
How do you play
Like all Monopoly games, the idea of this game is to make your friends lose all their money. But with this game, when one person loses all his/her money, the game is over. The remaining players just count their money and whoever has the most wins.
At the beginning of the game. each player begins with $31. They get $2 each time they pass go.
One die is rolled and the player hopes to land on spaces to buy dinosaurs (marking the ones they buy with their colored fossil). Fossils may also be earned by getting free ones from "Chance" cards. (Monkey loves it when she can knock my fossil off of a dinosaur and claim it for her own).
If a player lands on someone else's dinosaur, they pay a "rent" which is the equivalent to the price paid for the dinosaur. If a player owns both dinosaurs of that color, the rent is doubled.
Players go around and around the board buying dinosaurs, spending and earning money until someone goes broke. Since there are a number of "roll again" spaces and "Chance" cards that send you to specific dinosaurs, it is easy to make a trip around the board.
Game play has lasted anywhere from 15 minutes to 70 minutes.
Who has liked it and who hasn't
First off, I'm a mean mom and keep all the games up high except at playtime. This has decreased the amount of pieces we've lost. It also means that games are played with at least an 11-year-old supervising. Even though this game is "Specially designed for ages 5 to 8" (according to the box), I don't see younger kids playing it without supervision. The math may be too hard (even though it is only addition facts up to ten) and the confusion some kids have between the bank's money and personal money.
That said, Monkey loves this game. It gets played on a regular basis. Even though one doesn't have to pass out the Dino Bio Cards when someone buys a dinosaur, we do. Each game my monkey girl looks forward to reading facts about the different dinosaur as soon as she buys it. She usually is interested in the Habitat and Where the Fossils have been found.
I've taken this game to play at church. I learned quickly that even 7 and 8 year olds that aren't strong readers or haven't played board games before, don't last long on this game. They seem to get confused or lose interest. If you are looking for a beginning game for your child, I'd recommend "Candy Land" or "Chutes and Ladders". This would just frustrate you and them.
However, even a three-year-old with basic reading skills who is used to playing games with his big brothers, loved this game. Even though he got frustrated with the reading required (until the teen supervising became his reading buddy).
If your child has no money or addition concepts, this game is a good way to introduce them. Since they need to use their cash on hand to pay "rents", they can't always do it with just two bills. Sometimes a child may have to add three or four bills together to make $7 (as an example). If you are patient with them while playing, this game can be educational in this aspect.
I admit to being a bad mommy, I've underpaid Monkey Girl before and told her to check if I paid her the correct amount. She's learning to double check on a regular basis (a real plus when she starts paying for things on her own and needs to check her change).
Monkey's say
"I like the game because it has my favorite dinosaur, Triceratops, in it. I also like that you get to buy dinosaurs.
I don't like having to pay to go into the Tar Pit. I like to play this game with Mommy and Daddy. I love it when I beat them.
It's good for both boys and girls because I play it with my friends who are both boys and girls.
I learn about dinosaurs when I play with it and about money. I like it when I get all the money and mommy loses hers."
In a Nutshell
* When you think Monopoly Junior, don't think of the old form Monopoly. This game can be played quickly.
* Even though it is designed for kids, 5-8. It can be played be the whole family with out being too boring for mom and dad.
* It's educational while fun. Reading, Math, and Dinosaur facts are the academic subjects practiced.
* Like all board games, the box needs reinforced with tape or it starts falling apart.
* It is not the first game your child should be exposed to, but it's a great addition to an older child's game closet.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 10
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years
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