iPod game wins second prize in a beauty contest, collects $10

iPod Monopoly is just as fun as the capitalist board game, minus the joy of throwing houses and hotels at your sibling after a three-hour stalemate. For better or worse, almost nothing has changed from the physical game, with the iPod version sporting the same rules and play. You can even customize more than a dozen “house” rules; we never realized that putting tax money on Free Parking wasn’t in the official game, but iPod Monopoly let us add that jackpot to that space.

The scroll-wheel controls effectively move between options to buy properties, bid on auctions, roll the dice, and other basics. A combination of up to four human or AI opponents can compete on the same iPod, and the game even supports complicated trades between any player. The wry graphics, animation, and sound made us smile but always clearly defined the action.

But as clean as this conversion feels, we wanted a few more iPod-centric features. You can pause and resume a single game at any time, but you can’t resume a game later if you begin another. And expect to invest the same total amount of time--often hours--as physical Monopoly; while the game can pre-assign properties, there’s no truncated modes that would be ideal for quick sessions.

The bottom line: It’s true to Monopoly, but other than great presentation, it does little to feel like an iPod game.

COMPANY: Electronic Arts

CONTACT: www.macspeech.com

PRICE: $4.99

REQUIREMENTS:iPod Nano (3rd generation), iPod Classic, or iPod Video (5th generation)

Faithfully re-creates Monopoly. Can resume a single game any time. Supports background music from your library. Up to four players can compete.

Can’t save one game before beginning another. No truncated winning conditions for quick matches.