USAopoly has released Monopoly: The Godfather Edition ($44.95), a cleverly adapted version of the classic board game, where players can exchange "offers that they can’t refuse" as they attempt to maximize the size of their criminal empires. Based on the novels of Mario Puzo and the classic film trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Monopoly: The Godfather Edition features tokens that include a gun, a cannoli, a Genco olive oil can, the Don’s Limo, a dead fish, and, wait for it, a horse’s head.

 

The gameboard, chance cards, and other elements of the game have also been adapted to details of the gangster saga.  The Corleone’s Long Island home replaces Boardwalk, while the family’s Tahoe estate stands in for Park Place.  Other key properties include Moe Green’s Casino, Hyman Roth’s Home, Woltz International Pictures, and Joe’s Diner.  The four railroads of the original game have been swapped out for a fishing boat, a getaway car, a delivery truck, and a passenger train, while the Chance and Community Chest cards have been replaced by stacks of "Friends" and "Enemies" cards and houses are now "hideouts," and hotels are "compounds."

 

What this version of the classic board game might lack in appeal to younger games who are unfamiliar with the Godfather saga, it will provide an entertaining experience for older players thanks to its clever application of the elements that made the Godfather movies so popular.  It is amazing (and a little unsettling) to see how easily the game of real estate acquisition and speculation can be adapted to organized crime.