Hasbro celebrates 90 years of "Monopoly" with expansion packs

Some people love it, others are rather sceptical about Monopoly. However, everyone has probably played it at some point. The company Hasbro has held the patent for the game for 90 years and is using this anniversary as an opportunity to bring out three expansion packs. The fact that the game's predecessor is significantly older and that there were once lengthy patent disputes over it somehow fits in with the game about wealth and property.

Buy "everything" with a bit of luck

The three supplementary sets are:

"Buy everything"

"Free parking jackpot"

"Go to the prison"

With "Buy everything", luck decides whether a player can use the eight included ownership cards to purchase all railway stations directly. The supplement can be used to buy all action spaces on the game board. This significantly increases the chances of winning.

Hasbro itself writes that a game can be decided after just 40 minutes with the expansion. The set also includes an instant win card. Whoever draws it wins the game immediately.

With "Free Parking Jackpot", the playing field of the same name is transformed into a lottery drum. Winnings include free plots of land or cash prizes, for example.

The extension "Go to prison" shows that crime can pay off, at least in the world of Monopoly. Anyone who ends up in prison can collect "corruption cards" during their stay. These can then be used to trick the other players.

A new gameplay

The cards contained in the expansions deliberately lead to an imbalance between the players during a game: For example, whoever is able to take over the bank may use its funds to buy properties. This means that the games shouldn't actually take quite as long.

The educational effect of "corruption cards" is probably debatable.

All three expansion packs require the board game and are attached directly to the game board. Hasbro has not yet revealed when the market launch will be in Europe.