And the whole “cashless” thing may be easier but it also puts a barrier between a person and his/her money. People tend to spend more when they use credit or debit cards – having the cold, hard cash in your hand makes spending money real. This society – as a whole – is living beyond its means in so many ways, and teaching kids that using credit is easier just perpetuates the myth that being in debt is “normal.” It’s not normal; it’s foolish.

But, considering that my friend and I were one of the few kids able to make change in our heads (i.e. without needing a calculator!), I’d say that the math benefits FAR outweigh the speed and ease of play. I laughed when I saw this in the store. No wonder so many people have problems with money these days!

This seems exciting on the front end, a new version to try, but the lack of basic cash handling skills and math practice is disheartening.

Games that teach financial responsibility, math, and the connection between having money, saving, and spending are so important. Monopoly manages to slip it in there without being a game that hits you over the head with the money message.

Not that I would ever want to play Monopoly anymore, because it takes foreeeeeever.

After reading some of the posts above, I’m reminded that counting and math is a big part of the game – too bad they’re removing essential skills and replacing them with button mashing.

As a child, one of the most exciting things about this game was the fake money! As far as the game being a learning experience, it certainly was, but I was unaware of it at the time.

That’s the best way to learn things, in my opinion. I’d hate to take away that opportunity for other kids.

Won’t be buying this one.

And on another note, is the new box any smaller? Because if you keep the multitude of playing pieces and money IN the box of the old game (or some other kind of container), how does the new box create less clutter in your home?

Or maybe I missed something.

What? You don’t do that? Oh I suggest you try it… very satisfying

You could easily use a piece of paper or calculators to keep track of the money, but where’s the fun in that?

Part of the fun of playing monopoly is the slow count of the bills as you ruthlessly extract rent from other players. There’s a reason that Scrooge McDuck swims in coins, people.

Perhaps I would be more positive about this if there had been any coffee in the pot when I arrived at the office.

Also I’m not sure if they are fewer actual games pieces or not but the original was easy to keep track of. Just make sure you put everything back where it came from, teach your kids not to be lazy!