by Danielle Friedl

Created on: January 12, 2009

Ah, Monopoly. That luck-based game that goes on for hours and hours with seemingly no end in sight. In our house if you go for no holds barred, ruthless domination the game can take about 45 minutes. If you have to 'play nice' it can take forever. A lot of players have house rules that make the game more 'fair' but it's also a lot longer and there's very little victory in your victory. If it takes you four hours to politely beat your opponent, who cares? Get in, buy, build, collect rent, celebrate your win.

The rules of Monopoly are pretty simple. Though the properties have gone up in price considerably (darn that inflation!) and the game boards have taken on new-age looks the way you play has not changed much since its inception in the early 1900s. It's a simple game of buying property and building on it. The more you buy, the more rent you collect. The more you develop the land, the higher the rent. Own enough properties in prime locations, build them up and crush your opponent.

While it truly is a matter of luck (and a bit of statitics) that determines the winner there are some tactics you can take for a relatively quick win. Buy, buy some more, build hotels and take no prisoners. First let's talk about the land itself. You need to own all of the properties in a single color to have a monopoly and begin building on it. There are 6 sets of 3-piece developments and 2 sets of 2-piece developments. The higher it costs to buy the property, the higher the rent you will receive for owning it. While you want to aim for places that give you the most return for your money, you also want to pay attention to the costs you have to incur to make it worth your while.

Board Walk and Park Place cost the most and pay the most. The trouble is it also costs a lot to develop them so they can bring in the big bucks, and because there's only two of them you are statistically less likely to land on them. You want something that doesn't cost a lot to buy and develop, yet pays out AND gets landed on the most! For some reason Tennessee Ave. New York Ave. and St. James Place get a lot of hits. They're also inexpensive to own and operate making them the perfect monopoly to own. Railroads are good investments but only if you own more than one. If you own both the Electric Company and Water Works you can get a return on your investment with only three hits and some good rolls.

To start the game you want to buy as much property as possible but keep your eye on the bottom line. Don't overspend

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