

This is the rare occasion where finding a human opponent helps you learn about the game and develop a sound market strategy prior to playing the computer. You must devise a solid business plan and stick with it, or else the game will dissolve into frustration and reloads. Each AI is unique in style and personality, providing a variety of smart opponents to battle.Īlthough the computer doesn't cheat, it knows the rules of commerce well enough to build quickly, and sometimes ruthlessly. In contrast, Shoe is a meek looking cobbler and careful planner, not risking nor losing much. Racecar is a hotheaded investor dressed in classic racing gear, proudly honking a horn after making a bid. to specializing in high rent/high pay businesses on Boardwalk.Ĭharacters are based on the tokens from the board game, ten in all. Just like the board game, there are several ways to win the scenarios, running the gamut of being a slumlord on Baltic Ave. Finally, the game tosses in utility, railroad, and residential management for good measure. Random events, in the form of Chance Cards, add an element of luck to the mix. In addition to deciding where and what to sell, players can choose to lease blocks in classic Monopoly-styled auctions. Obviously, this will not necessarily appeal to the all-action shoot-em-up set the game becomes taxing without sufficient thought and planning.įor those who invest the time, Monopoly Tycoon provides a serious test that is rewarding and enjoyable. The in-game tutorials help start you down the path of success, but turning a profit becomes a matter of surveying people, undercutting the competition, and carefully adjusting stock to sales ratios to avoid shrinkage. Suffice it to say, Monopoly Tycoon is not an easy game. The simulation runs in a dynamic environment day passes into night, and players have to constantly be aware of the clock to succeed. The streets are busy day and night and filled with people looking to purchase basic needs and luxury items. Players move from the famous American properties to locales from boards around the world. Gameplay centers on the metropolis of Monopoly City, a town with blocks named after the famous locations on a classic Monopoly board. Monopoly Tycoon is sophisticated enough to be used in math classrooms today and be enjoyable at home as well, if players are willing to learn the ins and outs of complex consumerism. Two decades later, Monopoly Tycoon rediscovers the capitalistic charm of this simple forefather.Īlthough there are dozens of items to sell, real estate issues to consider, and much better music, it is still powered by the basic concept that made Lemonade Stand a fun way to learn. It was a low-resolution affair with simple beeping songs, but loads of fun. Purveyors sold one item, lemonade, and had to decide how many glasses would sell, dependent on the day's temperature. In the 1980s, math classes throughout America introduced a computer business simulation entitled Lemonade Stand.
