We had the opportunity to try out the Monopoly Video Game for Wii EA Games and Hasbro this week.

I opened it and asked my 12 year old son to get it up and running and I'd be there in a minute and we could have some mother-son bonding time. He was playing when I got there and I asked if he was having fun and he replied, "What is this?"

Parenting fail: Monopoly not played in childhood (yet).

Anyway, with a quick tutorial on the concept, we were up and going.

Monopoly for Wii is easy to use and has some fun graphics. The little Monopoly guy ("Mr. Monopoly", I think) talks you right through everything and makes for faster game play than the traditional board game.

The traditional board is very familiar and you can even fight over who gets to be the dog, just like you did when you were a kid. This edition has a fantastic collection of Monopoly boards all in one place! There are cool new, never before seen boards that you can unlock after you fill your "passport". They have fun new themes, music, properties, playing pieces and more.

You can play with 1-4 players, and the computer fills in the other players, so you could even play alone if you wanted. However, be warned that the computer players are pretty good!

It took me a little practice to be able to spot what properties I already owned and the auction part when you want to sell something took a little concentration at first, but it is pretty straightforward, overall.

It also has several fun, interactive mini-games you can play and unlock more as you go.

There's also a fast-paced "Richest Edition" way to play in addition to traditional play and up to four players can complete a game of Monopoly in 30 minutes!

This mode includes mini-games to advance play and it makes things go quickly and players can join in the frenzy of buying and trading property. After competing at the Monopoly-themed mini-games, a roll of the dice determines how many properties you're dealt, but you must pay rent on any already owned property you receive, so there's lots of trading going on to avoid going bankrupt. This mode includes some game-leveling events, so a big lead doesn't always make a runaway winner.

It's a lot of fun, and the Monopoly Video Game for Wii would make a fun holiday gift for the game lover in your family or give it to the group for some family fun!.