Installation of the game is typical of most Palm-OS based applications. The game takes up 134KB of your memory, with each saved game taking an additional 3KB each. Starting a new game, you are allowed to have a game of up to four players, which can consist of a mixture of human and computer players. There are a total of seven computer players available in the game, each with their own characteristics and style of play.

For starters, I have set up a game with three computer players, namely: Guybrush, Dana and Malcolm. Well, let's get started!

Like the original boardgame, Monopoly for Palm OS starts with a diceroll and the player with the highest total goes first. The GUI design is simple, with the ever familiar Monopoly game board cast on the background. This, together with the use of the ever familiar game pieces which represent the different players, helps to retain the original flavor of the board game. At the end of every dice roll, the game pieces will automatically move around the game board, advancing the squares one by one. The little mortgage cards with information on each property is now virtual, and can be called up during the game by simply tapping on the respective square of the property. The mortgage cards will also display the owner's name if the property is taken up.

The one feature that I really like on this game is the Game Summary screen. It provides a graphical picture of what each players owns, from properties to railroads to utilities and even the amount of cash available. This allows you to make better decisions when other players offers you trade deals. You wouldn't want to help them complete a Monopoly, would you?

What impressed me the most about Handmark's Monopoly is the A.I of the computer players. These players are each created with a different characteristics and they are definitely not simple-minded. If you are thinking of pulling a fast one against the computer players, better luck next time! The computer players in the game will offer you deals which benefit them, and sometimes deals that benefit both parties. You should never expect them to give up a property, even at double its value, knowing that you will complete a monopoly by doing so. All these factors certainly increase the playability of the game.

If you enjoy a game of Monopoly with a human player, you will be happy to know that you can play a "beam-able" game across the table. Not a bad idea across a meeting room table :)

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