Ask anyone to name a favourite or popular family board game and it’s almost guaranteed that the majority will say monopoly. It’s a game that’s been around for decades bringing both fun and tears to families all over the world. Monopoly is available in many countries with each country having its own unique version with well known streets and stations in each version. The popular UK version is the streets and stations of London. However I was quite surprised to recently discover that there are versions of Monopoly for other UK cities too and not just London. There are also many alternative versions of the game including the brand new cheaters edition from Hasbro.
This new edition has been shown a lot on tv recently and is one of the predicted top toys for Christmas 2018. It’s easy to see why, everyone loves monopoly and most players like to cheat!
Well now you can because that’s what this new game is all about. The only thing being – don’t get caught by other players.
The game board is fairly similar to the original one, at least where the street names are concerned anyway.
There’s the “Go” space and then your onto the brown property spaces of Old Kent Road and Whitechapel, followed by the light blue then pink etc. In this version the train stations are not for sale. Some properties on the board are also free or half price. There aren’t any green houses anymore either, just hotels this time. I do sort of miss those little houses!
The playing pieces have also changed a little.
Say hello to the new T-Rex, penguin and cat along with the original car, hat and dog. Each playing piece even has its own favourite way to cheat.
And it’s the cheating part that makes this edition so unique.
How many times have you cheated or tried to cheat in Monopoly? I’ve lost count, I imagine that’s why this game was bought out as the game makers know that everyone cheats.
These are all the possible cheats in this game!
All the cheats are on individual cheat cards. 5 cheat cards get placed on the board. Players can cheat anytime. If they aren’t caught then they let other players know they cheated and then turn over the cheat card for a reward. If they get caught then they go to jail. And not just their playing piece either because this Monopoly comes with handcuffs.
They are only toy plastic cuffs but make our game so much fun. Players in jail wear the cuffs until they get out. The rules for escaping from jail stay the same – get out of jail card, £50 or roll a double, with the extra addition of cheating if the card is on the table.
Other changes include no tax space and no Utilies. Landing on a train space takes players to the next station on the board too. The community chest and chance cards are still there.
The game plays out very much like the original version but the addition of the cheats makes it much more fun.
This game costs about £19.99. Up to six players and for players 8 and over. Although my 6 year old knows the rules better than I do.
