Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Melanie!}

Although my kids might never know what a cassette tape is or remember life before their favorite television show could be paused to wait for them to go to the bathroom, there are aspects of my own childhood that I'll be sure to pass on to them.

For one: game night. I have memories of gathering around the table with my family and rolling dice or picking cards and spending the evening plotting and playing and laughing together... and that's something that I want my girls to enjoy as they get older as well.

And one of the most classic board games around was, and always will be, Monopoly. Who doesn't remember debating the merits of being the thimble versus the race car? So, in a few years when my kids can grasp the concept better, I have no doubt that we'll be pulling out this one for some good old-fashioned fun.

However, Monopoly is anything but old-fashioned these days now that it has joined the technology era with Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition.

The same way that people don't carry cash around anymore, Monopoly has traded in the piles of pastel paper money for the modernity of plastic bank cards. With an electronic banking unit doing the payments and deposits, players buy property, pay bills and collect debts from opponents with the simple swipe of their card and a few taps on the machine.

But switching over the money isn't the only change that Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition has made in order to keep up with the times. With updated property values as high as $4 million and paychecks for passing Go equaling $2 million, players will become moguls faster than ever as they wheel and deal their way around the board.

When this newly-revived classic arrived, I was ready to relive my youth in an updated-for-the-21st-century type of way.

Right away I noticed that some of the pieces were reminiscent of the Monopoly from years ago, as the property cards, houses and hotels looked as though they had only received a slight makeover.

But while I was intrigued right away with the electronic banking unit and the brightly-colored bank cards to go with it, I do have to admit that I wasn't so sure about the game pieces that represent this modern day.

While the race car's new look wasn't bad and I thought that the airplane was a nice addition, the cell phone? And the cheeseburger? Call me old-fashioned, but I think I prefer the shoe and the wheelbarrow.

Random personal feelings aside, Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition has been a lot of fun to play. With no money to count out and all transactions done through the banking unit, setup is minimal and there is never any worry of running out of (or losing) the paper money of the past.

Instead, while players are rolling the dice, buying properties, paying rent and more, you simply pass the unit around or, alternatively, have one person be the designated banker. Gone are the days of anyone trying to slip an extra $500 bill from the bank, as the machine takes care of it all.

Although this version of Monopoly won't help teach kids about counting cash, it does still have the math lessons integrated in. At 5, Big Sister E is still too young to be able to truly play this game, but she has been learning a lot about what it means to gain and lose money and what it means to keep money electronically.

Plus, she just really likes seeing her bank account increase when she decides that she has "earned" more money!

For a new and entertaining way to be a real estate tycoon, Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition is a nice twist to the original game. I appreciate being able to set up (and clean up) quickly and easily and I have no doubt that we'll be building properties, paying mortgages, passing Go, going to jail, digging in the Community Chest much more in the upcoming years.

Available at mass merchandise retailers nationwide (and on Amazon) for $24.99, this would be a fun addition to game night this fall and winter. Plus, for a limited time Hasbro is offering a coupon for $4 off of your Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition purchase - head over to their Facebook page to grab one today!

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to wheel and deal electronically soon as well, because...

One lucky person will win Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition
from Hasbro!

To enter to win: Tell me your favorite game from your youth.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you follow Hasbro's Family Game Night on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

I want to WIN Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition for fun for the whole family! http://bit.ly/w4CMFg @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
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Giveaway will end on November 21st at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to Hasbro for providing Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.