Easy Money

 

The game of Easy Money was released by Milton Bradley in 1935. It was so similar to Monopoly that Parker Brothers sued and as a result the game was released again in 1936 with changes to the board. The new version no longer had deed cards, the property information was placed on the board, and the "give-or-take" space was removed, instead a player would pick up one of these cards if they rolled double. Railroads and utilities spaces were updated so there were no longer the same number  as and rent increases would not copy Monopoly.  

The board is not color coded, players need to buy one property on each side first. Once they own these four, they can start to build houses and purchase more than one property on the same side. Like Monopoly when a player lands on an un-owned property they can purchase it or it goes for auction. Utility and Public Buildings don't have a set purchase price, when a player lands there for the first time in the current game it is auctioned off by the bank and all players can bid.  There are no color grouped properties, rent increases with each house built on a property. 

The starting space is a copy of Monopoly, it's called the Bonus space. Players collect $250 every time they pass this space. There is a Hospital space in one corner, if a player lands here they collect all payments made to the hospital. There are two red light spaces, if a player lands on any of these they don't pay anything, however if they pass without stopping, they pay $10 to the bank. There are several legend spaces, when a player lands here they either pay or receive money to the bank. 

If a player wishes or is in need of cash, a property can be mortgaged to the bank. A player will receive the mortgage amount, and can only purchase it back for the mortgage plus 10% interest. While a property is mortgaged they can not collect rent or build additional properties. 

Play continues until a player becomes bankrupt. When that happens, the wealth is added up and the winner determined. Also the game can end if the bank runs out of funds, players wealth will be added up and the winner determined. 

 Several reviews said they enjoyed playing Easy Money over Monopoly, mainly because dominance is no longer determined by the first rotation around the board.  It was nice looking at the game, but not sure I'm interested in playing. The game board features  several New York and London streets and attractions. Easy Money has been re-released several times over the years with small changes to the board each time. For that reason I will continue to look at used versions I stumble across, but not worth the time to learn to play this one in my opinion.

I also stumbled upon the 1998 version of Easy Money. Upon reviewing the game board and instructions, I realized this is a completely different game. Actually if you look closely this is "Ea$y Money."

The game starts with bundles of cash in the center of the board and ends once all the cash has been removed. Game play involves a series of mini game; Lottery, Mystery Jackpot and Wall Street. The wads of cash look like something kids would enjoy playing with and taking pictures of. If your interested in learning more about this game the instructions can be found on the Hasbro website.