For gambling addicts, it’s reassuring to know that you can get a quick fix straight from a computer game, without any added expense — be it airfare, your bank account, or your sanity. Though many casino software games induce snores from hard-core Vegas and Atlantic City devotees, a few are just as addictive as the real deal. Unfortunately, MacSoft’s Monopoly Casino isn’t one of them.
MacSoft tries hard to bring Monopoly’s kitschy appeal to an otherwise crowded game genre. Though it may spark interest at first glance, the gameplay grows tiresome after an hour or so. Strip out all of the Monopoly icons, and you’re left with a rudimentary game that isn’t too different from the offerings of talented shareware developers.
We had some trouble with our first installation due to a faulty disc. With a second disc, installation was painless. The interface resembles a casino floor, with areas devoted to card tables (variations of poker and blackjack), roulette, craps, slot machines (casino and Williams slots), keno, and video poker. Just roll your cursor over each section to reveal what games are available in that area. Start by choosing your token (we always choose the dog). Next, select how much Monopoly money you want to gamble with (a cool million) and proceed to the game floor. We wanted to learn howto play craps, and though the manual explains the rules and betting outlines, it wasn’t thorough enough for us to understand fully how to play the game. (The manual covers how to play every game in the package.) We had better luck — and a lot more fun— on the poker and blackjack tables. Poker fans have five different games to choose from — 5 Card Draw, 7 Card Stud, Pai Gow Poker, Texas Hold ’Em, and Omaha Hold ’Em— a few of which feature game variations.
The slot machines are boorish, and although there are 16 varieties of casino slots (plus three Williams slots), each one seems to rehash the previous slot. We were baffled by some of the winnings — one slot pays if you get a particular icon on any reel; we were hooting when we got three of these icons in a row, only to find out this combo doesn’t win anything. Sheesh!
The game features big-band swing music in the background, which you can also play on any CD stereo system (it’s an enhanced CD, with separate game and audio files). Though the music is fun to listen to and livens up the game’s mood, it doesn’t loop, and it stops when the CD ends unless you retoggle the music check box in the preferences. The design elements and animations are appealing but not great, and many elements and animations appear over and over again. We witnessed a dozen coins flying out of a slot machine when we've won 2 bucks and saw the same dozen come out in slow motion when we won 80. Also, Mac OS X gameplay is buggy.
Though the game has potential for casual card players and those looking to brush up on their casino skills, Monopoly Casino lacks the bells and whistles and the sense of spontaneity that keep players playing.
Fong, Kris. (July 2001). Monopoly Casino. MacAddict. (pg. 52).
Westlake Interactive
Games
out of 10 (0 vote)
30 / 
2020-09-11 / 
e490fc7fbbce1c54e3f79ae93cd835a9bb456b19 / 
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monopoly_casino_mac.zip
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