The definition of a monopoly is the domination of a market by a single entity, which is ironic when you consider that the Monopoly board game is the most popular and successful in the world - it just goes to show that there's a lot to a name. Since its creation in 1935, Monopoly has grown to become the most commercially successful board game in history, with an estimated four hundred and eighty million players worldwide, a far cry from its humble beginnings as a game designed to illustrate the economic and social pitfalls of land ownership that was concentrated in very few hands.

Monopoly has seen many incarnations over the years, the most recent of which sees players using Twenty-First Century cash cards and swipe machines as a way of seizing control of the board and driving opponents to bankruptcy and destitution - it's no wonder then that Electronic Arts has decided that the game is ready for a new outing on the next generation consoles.

The Wii version of Monopoly stays faithful to its board game origins while offering a few extras to reinvigorate the franchise. The meat and potatoes of the game, however, is a straight console port of the traditional board game. Up to four players (with computer opponents filling in the gaps when there are less than four human players) compete to acquire wealth by buying, renting, and trading properties using make believe money. This is the game that we have all grown up with and should be instantly familiar to everyone. As in the traditional version of the game, the players take turns moving around the board according to the roll of the dice and the object is to buy as many properties as possible, acquiring a bucketload of money and bankrupting your opponents along the way - all good family fun.

The proceedings are narrated by a digital representation of the avuncular Mr Monopoly, a loveable character based on the perhaps not so loveable American billionaire J. P. Morgan. The game offers both a 3D and a top down display that seamlessly flows with the proceedings, whether you're watching other players take their turn or rolling the dice yourself. Graphically, EA has done a fairly respectable job in presenting the game in a clean, sharp and colorful format. The only character you see is Mr Monopoly and he scampers around the board, following the action and offering commentary along the way. The in-game audio is equally functional; the music is subdued and unobtrusive, reminiscent of the non-descript hum you hear in a hotel elevator or PC chess game. In essence the audio is inconsequential and acts as an inoffensive backdrop to the game itself.

As this is the Wii version of Monopoly, players are encouraged to shake their controllers in order to reproduce the sound of rattling dice before pressing the A button to throw. You will quickly discover that shaking the controller isn't necessary but it's a nice touch nevertheless. There are some new features for this version, too, such as unlocking multiple game boards that each feature a unique theme such as jungle, snowy ice and deserts. EA's Monopoly also comes with twelve mini-games that make effective use of the Wii controller, such as jail break, where you shake your Wiimote up and down to escape the cops and then press A to jump over obstacles in your path and Get out of Jail. I found these side offerings fiddly to control and eventually dismissed them in favour of the more substantial main game.

As an alternative to the traditional version of Monopoly, there's also the Richest Mode, which allows players to complete a game of Monopoly in around thirty minutes. In this mode, each round begins with a multiplayer mini-game based on a Chance or Community Chest card and once that's complete, the game then rolls one die for each player, with the winner of the mini-game getting to pick whichever number they want out of the results. The game then gives the players ownership of that number of random squares; any vacant properties come under their control but if they're assigned occupied squares then they have to hand over some property as a payment to the previous owner. It's not an essential but Richest Mode does bring something extra to the traditional Monopoly fare and that can only be a good thing. However, there are a few disappointing omissions that could really have helped raise the game's appeal; options to customise the game experience are pretty much non-exisistent and, perhaps most glaring of all, there is no online mode, although as usual that's possibly more down to Nintendo's lack of support for online gaming than laziness on the part of EA.

The truth is that, despite all the trimmings, Monopoly is essentially a digital version the ever popular board game and how much you enjoy EA's version on the Wii - or the other two consoles - will depend on how much you enjoy the traditional board game. It's by no means a killer application but Monopoly is a faithful reproduction of a timeless classic. It lacks any of the razzmatazz and childlike abandon traditionally associated with Wii titles but it does provide a solid game of Monopoly that's easily accessible to newcomers and more seasoned players alike. As with the real thing, it's likely that this game will be hauled out and dusted down over the holiday season and then shelved again once the festivities are over.

Reviewed by Kizzi Nkwocha for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).