The inspiration for this fantastic version of the game.

I have grown up playing Monopoly every Christmas and it has always annoyed me that I could only play at Christmas because nobody else would play at other times. That is why the iOS version of the game is the perfect fit for people like me.

Monopoly Here and Now for iOS devices is the re-skinned version of the original game for iOS. Like the Here and Now version of the board game it updates the monetary value of everything in order to fit with modern times by multiplying all the amounts by 10,000. One of the changes from the board game version of Here and Now is the fact that this is the worldwide version. Instead of Mayfair and Park Lane you have Montreal and Riga respectively. This makes for a nice change of pace and almost makes this hundred-year-old game feel like new. There is still something that could be said for the nostalgia of the train stations, Bond Street and the waterworks but this version of the game achieves what it sets out to do with just one worldwide version of the game for the worldwide market that is the iOS platform.

This iOS version of Monopoly is one of the best virtual versions of the game that I have played. The mechanics are essentially the same but the rules are customisable and the Retina Display for the iPod touch and iPhone really make up for the somewhat limited technology of the mobile devices. Although the game would not look anywhere near as good on an older iPod or iPhone – I also tested it on a non-retina display iPod touch – the Retina Display functionality means the game surpasses the likes of other mobile versions of the game. I would be inclined to say that the iOS version of the game is on par or at least extremely close to the PS3/PSP mini version in terms of graphics.

For any Monopoly fans out there this game is more than worth the 0.59p ($0.99) entry point. I have been playing it all week and I already feel as though I have got my moneys worth. Even for casual fans of Monopoly this could be worth getting for the simple fact that there are three difficulty levels for the AI in the game, which makes for a quick or long game depending upon yours and the AI’s skill. Although there are other versions of this game on other platforms they aren’t all the same. The Android version is extremely different from the iOS version and costs $6.99. The PS Mini version is somewhat similar but again it costs around $5 and isn’t as portable as the iOS version since most people probably take their iPhone or iPod touch with them everywhere anyway. If however you want to be able to play the game on your television as well then the Playstation Mini version would be hard to pass up since you can play it on both the PSP and PS3.