This is a different and fresh take on Monopoly!

Monopoly Here and Now is such a different game from the original.  This is a great thing!  So, if you are looking for something that has a Monopoly vibe to it with some elements that are familiar, but really a different game,  Monopoly Here and Now is the game for you.

For starters, Monopoly Here and Now addresses one of the biggest problems with Monopoly in general: the length of time it takes to play.  Our game of Monopoly Here and Now lasted about 30 minutes.  30 minutes!!! You can already see that this is a different beast all together.  The key difference that I absolutely adored about this game is the passport token system.  Wow.  This should be included as an alternative in every Monopoly game going forward!

The way the tokens work, is that every time you buy a property, you get a token for that property instead of a card.  The size of token is in direct relation to the value of the property; the more valuable the property, the bigger the token.  Plus, whenever you get a Monopoly, you get a bonus token.  Why all the tokens?  You have a token holder (a passport) that can only hold so many tokens.  The bigger the token, the more space they take up.  The real kicker is, the first one to fill up their token holder wins!  I am telling you it is brilliant.  My family loved this addition so much, we immediately began to strategize how to use the token system with regular Monopoly as well.  It is just soooo good!

Another major difference in this game is that there are no houses or hotels.  The reason for that, is that there is no time for it.  Just when you would begin to think about buying houses in regular Monopoly, this version of the game has ended.

In terms of the components, they are top notch.  The board itself is covered in major US cities rather than Boardwalk or Atlantic Avenue.  The prices for these properties are modern as well, making it feel a little more realistic.  My personal favorite (outside of the tokens) was the gold Statue of Liberty piece!  

All in all, we loved this completely alternative way to play Monopoly.  With 6 kids, there are not always 4 or 5 hours to squeeze in a regular game of Monopoly.  So the fact that Hasbro has taken the look and feel of Monopoly and created a super-fast paced variant is both smart and really tons of fun!  Monopoly Here and Now is only $19.99 and worth every penny in my opinion.  Get it here on Amazon! 

On a side note, did you know the original Monopoly is now only $10 on Amazon? Crazy!!! You can get it here.