Monopoly Plus – Play Monopoly With Friends Across the Globe

Monopoly is guaranteed to be one of the classic board games found in every home. Ubisoft's digitized version – Monopoly Plus – is an excellent translation of a board game to a digital version.

Monopoly Plus is the best digital re-creation of everyone's favorite capitalist board game.

This feels right!

Ubisoft's Monopoly Plus isn't the first time the classic board game found itself in the digital realm. But it is the first time Monopoly feels right on a digital platform. Luckily, it's available on a wide variety of platforms.

Cross-Country Capitalism

Monopoly Plus is available as a standalone game or part of Ubisoft's Monopoly Fun Party Pack. The game board is re-created in loving detail, preserving the original Monopoly art. For purists who hate all the different versions of Monopoly available today, that's excellent news. Rating: 5/5

Capitalism in 4K

The attention to detail on the game board makes Monopoly Plus the quintessential digital board game experience for Monopoly fans. Mr. Monopoly and the original designs for the Chance and Community Chest cards are all present.

Ubisoft even took care to localize the board according to language. The US version features the iconic Boardwalk and Park Place, while the Brit version features Mayfair and Park Lane. These regional differences are present for all supported languages.

Tired of classic Monopoly and want to try something a little more flashy? Monopoly Plus features a live version that turns green houses and red hotels into fully rendered properties on the board. One thing to note – the extra rendering on each property slows the game down considerably in late stages. Playing against AI opponents means you'll be watching property build animations for each player.

That problem doesn't exist on the classic Monopoly board, where players' turns speed along.

A Faithful Re-Creation, With New Problems

The original rule-set for Monopoly is on display in both versions of the game. That means whatever regional rules your family observes while playing aren't present. Some modified rules are available, but players don't get full control over the rules of their game. Some custom rules that Monopoly Plus supports include:

• Taxes and penalties go to Free Parking
• Double salary if a player lands on GO
• No rent collection while in jail

Do you play with both of those rules? Unfortunately, you'll have to decide which is more relevant to you. Monopoly Plus doesn't allow you to mix and match popular modifications to the game's rule-set, which is unfortunate.

One downside to Monopoly Plus is the broken implementation of multiplayer. Players who start the session and then go bankrupt and leave will end the game for everyone. The game doesn't feature any host migration once the host quits, making online pretty useless unless the host is always the winner.

Another small point is that the game's AI is pretty easy to game. Whereas a player may charge you five times a card's face value to get the final railroad, AI will accept a one-time deal. Poor trading decisions make the Monopoly Plus AI notoriously easy to defeat. As a party game where all players are human, Monopoly Plus excels.

Excellent party game with some bugs

Monopoly Plus is an excellent party game for anyone who plans on playing with humans in a local setting. Some bugs with the multiplayer make it hard to have fun with other players. The living board is a fantastic first experience, but subsequent games move much faster in classic mode.

TL/DR

Monopoly Plus is probably the best digital re-creation of this Parker Bros. game. Unfortunately, the limited rule-set modifications mar what would otherwise be a perfect release.