Customer Reviews

The MONOPOLY Companion: The Players' Guide

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recomend this book to anyone and everyone who plays Monopoly. It is a fun read while at the same time giving great stats and tips as to how to play the game. Ever since I read the book, I rarely lose (pretty much only lose to my brothers who have also read it or to friends who ally against me to stand a chance).

I've found that it is a fine companion book, and does fine to supplement the official rules(so I put it in my monopoly box and leave the rules with the sets I don't use). It may have editorial errors...but the "error" that the disgruntled reader pointed out is not an error...the "second player to your left" is the same as the "second player following" unless you're going counterclockwise...because after you take a turn, the "first player to your left" goes...followed by the second player to your left...so I don't see the problem there.

The only problem I have with it, is that I follow the rules too carefully, so now when I talk about building shortages or making deals between others turns my friends think I'm making up rules.

Go get this book and enjoy!

Playing Monopoly can be a long endeavor, especially if you play with people who don't know the official rules. If you have endured such hardship, you could recommend this guide to such beginning players.

This book basically gives a lot of tips to the game that most novice players don't know. One of these tips is knowing which monopolies are the most powerful on the board (and it's not Park Place and Boardwalk most of the time!). It is entertaining and can be easily read in one afternoon. There is quite a bit of filler, though, if you just want to get to the nitty-gritty of how to improve your play. His "interview format" with Uncle Moneybags is humorous, but can drag on if you're just in the market for how to become a Monopoly master.

In the end, it's an enjoyable book for most beginners and intermediate players, but can irritate a player who is quite familiar with the game and just looking to get to the highest levels of gameplay.

...it's the only book that's still being published. It covers the basics, but there is so much more to Monopoly than the book does not address. I got a copy of "The Monopoly Book" by Maxine Brady when I was a kid about 20 years ago, but unfortunately, it's "publisher out of stock". The latter book has better coverage of strategy and tactics, IMHO.

If you're interested in a book I'm planning to write covering Monopoly strategy and tactics book and the game's interesting social and group dynamics, please drop me an email message.

Also, I just discovered an interesting Web site and book about "antimonopoly"

The book says "Mr. Monopoly reveals everything he knows about the world's most popular board game. 'And that, quite frankly is everything.'" Not quite. There are errors in the book (compared to the official Parker Brother's rules). Given that the author was (supposedly) the Chief Judge at the National and World Monopoly Tournaments from 1979 through 1992 (book bio) it is inconceivable that he didn't know the rules, so I think it is just a lack of attention to detail. Yet when you are holding yourself out as an "expert" this is inexcusable. Proofread the book. Edit the book.

For example, one mistake occurs on the pages 34-35, "Paying Rent." They say there are two instances when you can't collect rent one of which is when you do not ask for it within a certain time limit. The time limit during which an opponent must pay rent is before the "second player to your left." This is clearly incorrect, it is the second player to *your opponent's* left. This whole section is mismatched, saying "your left" instead of your opponent's left. It is almost as if they didn't proofread it or didn't know the rules. (The Rules:"The owner may not collect the rent if they fail to ask for it before the second player following throws the dice.") And this isn't the only spot with problems. There are little things like this which people won't catch and will be misled.

If you are interested in some of the history, then fine, it is reasonably accurate. ;-) . If you want play tips and have much experience at the game, it is NOT worth it. The tips provided are common sense, there is perhaps one tip that a beginner might find useful. And there is even no index (how hard is it to have an index?).

In short the book is disappointing and if you are looking for a book with substance about Monopoly, this is not it. Maxine Brady's book (not published now) is better, but still not a complete treatment.

Everyone has a Monopoly set somewhere at home. If you're like me your set of instructions disappeared long ago and was only a sheet of paper with small font at best anyway. This book explains all the rules in great detail. I never knew there was a limit on the number of houses and hotels and that when there aren't enough green houses you couldn't just fork out the monetary value for a hotel. The age old debate of does free parking collect all the taxes and whoever lands on it gets the money is answered as well. The answer is no by the way. This is a great handy guide for any arguments about the rules.

Even if you already know all of the rules this is still a pretty good purchase. Inside is a heap of trivia such as the names of all the characters on the board and cards, the fact that Parker Bros prints 50 billion dollars of Monopoly money each year and the fact that on average each player makes about $175 dollars around the board. A comparison of the Monopoly properties and what those streets are actually like in the real Atlantic City both when the game was invented and today is very interesting reading along with the predecessors to Monopoly and other historical information. There are also tips on how to play from Mr Monopoly including which are the best properties to purchase. This is an excellent little book for anyone who enjoys playing the best board game ever invented.

This is a cute little book that does a great job giving you the history behind the game. I learned quite a bit about Monopoly's origins and the history it shares with Atlantic City that I never even heard about before. I also enjoyed the "Trip Around the Board" section, where "Mr. Monopoly" gives us his tips on each property color group.

One of my favorite parts was reading recaps of various Monopoly championships and the tips given by some of those world champions. Very illuminating to how it works in serious game play!

While I wouldn't call this a "must have" to keep with a Monopoly set, it does make you want to break out the Monopoly set and play with the nearest person.

This product is excelent for those who doesn't know well how to play Monopoly. For those who has access to Parker Brother web page, this is the same information. For those who played Monopoly a lot, like me, this is only a review. I like this book so much, is better read it than a computer screen. Don't miss it if you want to teach your children how to play and how to analize. My eight years old little girl play like a pro before I read this book.

I believe that if you looked at all the brand name games out there (therefore taking non-brand name games like chess, checkers and backgammon), there is no game out there more popular than Monopoly. Although it may be popular for over seventy years, there have been very few books about it. Philip Orbanes has written one of the few exceptions, The Monopoly Companion.

Actually, the gimmick of the book is that it is actually Mr. Monopoly who is telling the book to Orbanes. Mr. Monopoly is the wealthy gentleman who appears in the Monopoly logo as well as several Chance and Community Chest cards; I always knew him as Rich Uncle Pennybags, but apparently Parker Brothers changed the name recently. And though the first part of the book presents a history of the game, somehow this old name is omitted completely.

After the history, there is an explanation of the rules of the game. There are official rules and then there are the house rules that we all use to tweak the game, probably most commonly by placing money on the Free Parking spot. After the rules, we get to the heart of the book: a breakdown of all the properties and their relative values and some strategies. The value of a particular monopoly (a color group, the railroads or the utilities) are based on several factors including cost of acquisition, how frequently they are landed on, how expensive they are to develop and how quickly they pay back in rent the money spent on them. Another factor is what point the game is at: a monopoly may be more valuable earlier in the game than later.

After these sections, the book goes into Monopoly parties and tournaments and even gives the reader a quiz. Overall, this is an interesting book but not great. For one thing, the Mr. Monopoly gimmick wears thin rather quickly. Also, playing Monopoly is more fun than reading about others playing it, so the tournament narratives are just so-so. It is the middle of the book that redeems the book, however, giving insights that may have not occurred to many players. If you're a fan of Monopoly, this book is a reasonably good and inexpensive acquisition; even with its flaws, it offers enough of value to merit a low four stars.

Very helpful clarifications of the rules. Statistics about properties to help with strategy. Good strategy tips. Accurate and interesting history of the origin of the game.

I ordered this for my husband for x-mas. He loved it. hE IS A Monopoly collector anything monopoly. Very Fast Delivery. Excellant condition