It's still Monopoly, and the gamefboard looks much the same, with all the classic properties around the edge. But there's a 10" tower sitting smack in the middle of the board. It's purpose: to make your Monopoly life a little easier - no more calculating rent and counting out paper bills, or even reading the instructions. And unlike the Electronic Banking device in the Monopoly Here & Now editions  - which slowed the game so much it was almost annoying - the 10" Tower-like console controlling the LIVE games, is quick and quite sophisticated. Using a wash of infrared light and a camera that "sees" little reflectors in each game piece (don't loose these!) and can monitor the game in progress.  And by managing financial transactions, dice rolls, rent calculations, etc, it speeds up the game (something today's generation increasingly demands from their games), keeps track of your bank balance and even intervenes with random evets to make sure the game stays lively. Afterall, there's nothing like a typhoon on the high seas to shake up a game of Battleship!

Being a fan of house rules, I'm not often impressed with computer controlled bard games - they're just too restricting for my tastes. But after playing a couple of rounds at Toy Fair, I am excited about the new Monopoly Live (and even more excited about Battleship LIVE), because these versions do actually change the game dynamics of these classic games in a way no other adaption has - with the exception perhaps of Monopoly City (which did so without electronics).