Monopoly Casino: Over 40 Games

As the name implies, this is a casino game with a Monopoly theme, and the bright, clean look of the board game works well for the slot machines, craps tables, roulette wheels, and other casino favorites players can access. The back of the box goes a little overboard when it states there are over 40 games with more than 200 variations. There is variety with some games like poker, which includes several variations of five-card draw, Texas and Omaha hold 'em, and seven-card stud. But "variations" for the slot machines consist only of different betting levels. Regardless, there are a lot of games packed on this CD-ROM, including a fun version of blackjack, pai gow poker, keno boards, 10 video poker machines, and a money wheel in addition to the games we've already mentioned.

If the computer opponents aren't challenging enough you can take your bankroll to the Internet by challenging other Monopoly Casino owners online. Poker still isn't as fun when you aren't siting directly across from a living, breathing opponent, but it comes close, and you never have to worry about cheating. The only thing we wished for was more feedback when we won a game of video poker or had a lucky spin of the reels at the slot machines, but that didn't seem to stop us from whiling away many pleasant hours with Monopoly Casino. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Plenty of games to keep casino fans occupied
• Tournament mode adds some much-needed tension to the game
• Monopoly-themed graphics look nice

• The card games are fun, but passive games such as the slots and the money wheel just aren't as fun without real money