--- The Monopoly Board ---

Traveling around the Monopoly board and playing the rounds earned from
landing on property is a way to earn varying points, and progress toward
Land Grab.  There are eight different property groups, and each gives a
different type of round or award.

Landing on property to collect it can be done one of three ways:

- Shooting the right ramp, then shooting the lane to the left of the center
ramp while no round or multiball is running
- Shooting the Electric Company when lit for "Roll" (after 15% and 60% power
levels)
- Advancing directly to property through a Chance award

You can also advance around the board by shooting any ramp.  The center ramp
advances 1 space, the right ramp advances 2 spaces, and the side ramp
advances 3 spaces.  The railroad ramp

Whenever you land on property, you score 1000 times the Monopoly purchase
price of the property.  If you land on an unlit property group, you will
earn that group's round or award.  The group will then be lit until the game
ends, or until you start Land Grab.

Any Monopoly board round which is interrupted by a multiball will not score
during the multiball, and will pick up where you left it when the multiball
ends.

Here are the eight groups and their awards.  The award for landing on the
individual property is in parentheses.

- Purple Group -

Mediterranean Avenue (60,000)
Baltic Avenue (60,000)

Landing on Mediterranean Avenue sets the lower (Water Works) jets to their
maximum point value.  It does not change how quickly the jets add to the
Water Works value.

Landing on Baltic Avenue sets the upper (Electric Company) jets to their
maximum point value, and changes how quickly the jets advance the Electric
Company power level.

- Light Blue Group -

Oriental Avenue (100,000)
Vermont Avenue (100,000)
Connecticut Avenue (120,000)

Landing on any of these properties when unlit starts Token Chase.  Token
Chase is similar to "Catch Me" from Corvette; shoot any shot to advance your
car, and beat the dog to the finish.  Finishing the round earns about 1
million points.  Losing to the dog awards a consolation prize of 150,000.

Generally, you can ignore this mode and concentrate on advancing to
multiball, lighting the next Roll & Collect, or advancing toward Cash Grab
by shooting the closed Bank Vault.  By making these shots you are likely to
win the race anyway.

- Magenta Group -

St. Charles Place (140,000)
States Avenue (140,000)
Virginia Avenue (160,000)

Landing on any of these properties when unlit starts Free Money.  During
Free Money, the Electric Company message board will be rolling numbers.
Hitting the Bank Vault will lock in each digit, from right to left: the
first shot locks in the thousands digit, then ten thousands, then hundred
thousands.  The hundred thousands digit will always be between 5 and 9, so
the worst possible Free Money award is 511,000 (?), and the best is 999,000.
There is a 15-second time limit.  When time runs out or the ball drains, you
earn whatever points you have earned from hitting the Bank Vault, so it is
possible to earn as little as 1,000 from this round.

An unconfirmed report said that earning 3 of a Kind from these wheels gives
a bonus.

Since the Bank Vault is not a safe shot, and you are not advancing to Cash
Grab by shooting it during Free Money, this is a good round to skip.  Go for
it if you hit the Vault by accident; or, you could try shooting the Vault
from the upper flipper.

- Orange Group -

St. James Place (180,000)
Tennessee Avenue (180,000)
New York Avenue (200,000)

Landing on any of these properties when unlit starts Tax Refund.  During Tax
Refund, each shot to the Bank Vault scores a decreasing value from 500,000
to 100,000.   The round lasts about 20 seconds.

500,000 is probably worth going for, but 100,000 is not.  Try to hit the
Vault as many times as you can right away, then ignore it as it times out.
It is more important (and worth more points!) to light the next Roll &
Collect by shooting the right ramp.

- Red Group -

Kentucky Avenue (220,000)
Indiana Avenue (220,000)
Illinois Avenue (240,000)

Landing on any of these properties when unlit starts Cop Chase.  Cop Chase
is very reminiscent of Clock Chaos from Twilight Zone.  During Police Chase,
one light on the Monopoly board will be lit.  The lights move clockwise, and
if they reach "Go To Jail", the round is over.

Hitting the Cop standup target stops the light, reverses its direction, and
moves a little faster.  The first Cop target hit scores 250,000 (?), and
each additional target hit is 50,000 more.

Since the Cop target is a very unsafe shot, this round is generally not
worthwhile, but try it if you dare.  No matter what happens during this
round, the Cop standup will be up at the end of the round.

- Yellow Group -

Atlantic Avenue (260,000)
Ventnor Avenue (260,000)
Marvin Gardens (280,000)

Landing on any of these properties when unlit starts Utility Overload.
During Utility Overload, all bumpers score 10,000 (?), and either Utility
shot (Electric Company or Water Works) adds 5,000 to the value and scores a
small bonus.

This can be a very lucrative round, and a fairly safe one.  From the left
flipper, shoot the spinner to hit both bumper groups.  From the top flipper,
shoot the Electric Company to add to the value and feed the Water Works
bumpers.  From the right flipper, shooting into the Water Works may work,
but it may be more useful to feed the upper flipper.

- Green Group -

Pacific Avenue (300,000)
North Carolina Avenue (300,000)
Pennsylvania Avenue (320,000)

Landing on any of these properties when unlit awards a substantial number of
points.  Pacific Avenue awards 1 million, North Carolina Avenue is worth 2
million, and Pennsylvania Avenue is worth 3 million.  No questions asked.

- Dark Blue Group -

Park Place (350,000)
Boardwalk (400,000)

Landing on either of these properties when unlit lights a major award.
Landing on Park Place lights extra ball.  Landing on Boardwalk lights
special.  In tournament play, my initial guess is that these would award 4
and 5 million, but that is a pretty poor guess.

--- The Cop Standup and Drop Target ---

Hitting the Cop Standup target (just below the Electric Company shot)
anytime during single-ball play raises the Cop Drop Target.  This is
generally not a good thing, since you cannot shoot the Roll & Collect lane
when this target is raised.  Dropping the target scores 125,000 the first
time, then 25,000 more each time, to a maximum of 250,000.  There does not
seem to be any special award for a large number of Cop Drops.

BUT if you are playing any round other than Cop Chase, the Cop Drop Target
also adds 5 seconds to the timer for that round.  This can be especially
useful during Cash Grab and Utility Overload, but is convenient all around.

For the most part, aiming for the Cop Drop Target is only done when you want
to get at the Roll & Collect lane.  This is done most safely from the upper
flipper, but can also be done from either lower flipper.

--- Advancing to Go ---

To light a lock, you must advance once around the board to Go.  There are
several ways to advance around the board, but one of the quickest is to
shoot the Railroad ramp.  This ramp moves you forward up to 8 board spaces,
and the ramp can be shot comfortably from either lower flipper.

A second option is to hit the Advance To Go award from the standup target
between the right ramp and spinner.  It is worthwhile to wait until you are
just past Go, since Advance To Go will then light the next lock immediately.

--- Monopoly Multiball ---

Start Monopoly Multiball by locking two balls through the center ramp, then
shooting the right ramp.  During Monopoly Multiball, the side ramp is worth
a 1,000,000 Jackpot, and the Electric Company is lit for a 2,000,000 Double
Jackpot.  The Jackpots can be relit by shooting the Railroad ramp; listen
carefully for the Railroad noise so you will know when to expect the ball.

I was unable to figure out the rules which decide which Jackpots are lit
when, so check for yourself.  If the side ramp is lit, the Electric Company
message board will point an arrow up the ramp.  This is pretty convenient,
since the light which tells you whether the Jackpot is lit is blocked from
easy view.

The side ramp is much easier to hit than the Electric Company (at least for
me), and the Electric Company on the machine I played had a tendency to
reject hard shots.  If either of these applies to you, you might want to
ignore the Double Jackpot shot.

Overall, this is a multiball where ball control is very important.  Don't
forget that you can shoot the Railroad ramp from either flipper.

Any Monopoly board round started before multiball will pause during it, but
Cash Grab will continue.  So, you should try to start Cash Grab just before
multiball.  Cash Grab during multiball can be worth over 3-4 million, which
is a lot of points in this game.

--- Cash Grab ---

Cash Grab is started by completing B-A-N-K from the closed Bank Vault, which
blocks the center ramp.  The Bank Vault is initially closed; when open,
close it by shooting the side ramp.  You do not have to hit the Free Parking
target to close the Bank Vault.

Cash Grab is a 15-second timed mode where all major shots (ramps, loops,
lanes, and holes) score.  The first shot is worth 250,000, and each
additional shot is 25,000 more.

Cash Grab is the only round which can be played during multiball.  This is a
very important strategy note, since Cash Grab is started with the same shot
used to light locks.  It is not too difficult to make sure that multiball is
ready whenever Cash Grab is started, and vice versa.

Indeed, the combination of Cash Grab, Monopoly Multiball, and the Cop Drop
Target is one which can earn a remarkable number of points, and is exceeded
only by Land Grab.

--- Railroads and Railroad Multiball ---

Shoot the Railroad ramp when lit to advance to the next railroad and light
it.  If the Railroad ramp is unlit, shoot the right loop to relight it.

Lighting a Railroad scores 200,000.  Lighting all four railroads lights
Railroad Multiball.  During Railroad Multiball, all Railroad shots are worth
250,000.  I don't know if there is a way to raise the value of the jackpot
in Railroad Multiball.

Railroad Multiball isn't really worth that many points.  You should use the
Railroad ramp to your advantage in lighting locks, since Railroad shots
advance you 8 spaces.  You need to have lit all four Railroads to light Land
Grab.

--- Electric Company ---

The Electric Company power level is raised by one of three things:

- the "Power Up" award on the standup target between the spinner and right
ramp
- the Electric Company shot
- upper bumper hits

Upper bumper hits award a small percentage.  I believe that this is 0.2%
when unlit, 0.4% when solidly lit, and 0.6% when flashing, but I am unsure.

The Electric Company shot awards a value which is

(1000 x # lit upper bumpers) x (Power Level)

The # of lit upper bumpers is between 1 and 6 (each flashing bumper counts
twice, like Twilight Zone).  This award can be between 1,000 and 600,000.

The Electric Company shot then adds 5% to the current Power Level.

In general, the Power Level is raised so slowly that the Electric Company is
rarely worth more points than the side ramp.  Additionally, the side ramp is
a safe shot when made, while the Electric Company is not.

--- Water Works; Skill Shot ---

The Water Works value starts at 25,000, and raises by 1,000 for each lower
bumper hit.  The value is scored by hitting the Water Works hole, which is
guarded by the spinning flipper.

The value is multiplied by anything from 1x to 7x, depending on the
multiplier value lit next to the Water Works hole.  This multiplier can be
raised by an award from the standup between the right ramp and spinner.

When each ball is put into the plunger, you have the opportunity to score a
Skill Shot by plunging the ball into the Water Works hole.  This awards the
same points that the Water Works hole gives during regular play, so this can
be anywhere from 50,000 to over a million.  Judge for yourself based on this
whether it is more valuable to try for the Skill Shot, plunge the ball for
an upper flipper shot, or plunge hard to reach the bumpers.

--- Side Ramp; Free Parking ---

The side ramp advances you 3 spaces around the Monopoly board, and closes
the Bank Vault if it is open.  If you hit the Free Parking target at the top
of the ramp (which happens more than half the time, I'd say), you score an
award which starts at 150,000 (?) and raises by 25,000 for each additional
hit.  Also, hitting the Free Parking target adds 5,000 to the Free Parking
value which carries over from player to player, and game to game.  This
value can be collected repeatedly during Free Parking Multiball.

How do you get Free Parking Multiball?  I don't remember.  I think it was an
award from Chance.

--- Other Multiballs ---

Chance can also award Ripoff Multiball and Breakout Multiball.  I could not
see a difference between the two.  In each, one ramp shot is lit for an
award.  The award starts at 400,000 and raises by 50,000 for each shot.

Perhaps a future software revision will make these two more different, or
already has.

--- Bonus; Bonus Multiplier ---

Like No Good Gophers, either inlane will light the opposite inlane for bonus
multiplier.  Additionally, completing the A-B-C lanes above the Electric
Company bumpers will advance the bonus multiplier (and advance 8 board
spaces).  The highest multiplier is 6x.  The first time you reach 6x, Extra
Ball will light.

End-of-ball bonus is based on the number of properties you own, the number
of times you have visited Railroads, and the number of times you have passed
Go.  All this is multiplied by the bonus multiplier.  If your game has
lasted a long time, the bonus multiplier becomes more and more important.  I
have seen end-of-ball bonus worth over 3 million.

--- Chance; Community Chest; Loose Change ---

The Chance scoop is lit by shooting the center ramp (?).  Falling into the
Chance scoop, or shooting it on purpose, will give a random award.  There
are a lot of awards, many of which are standard Monopoly fare:

- Advance to Illinois Ave.
- Advance to St. Charles Place
- Advance Token to Nearest Railroad
- Advance to Boardwalk
- Award points to EACH player
- Ripoff Multiball
- Breakout Multiball
- Several more I forgot

Well-substantiated rumors claim that you will soon be able to light
Community Chest awards, and score them at this scoop.  In the game I played,
there was no way to light or score Community Chest.

If neither Chance nor Community Chest is not lit and you shoot the scoop,
you will be awarded Pocket Change.  Pocket Change plays exactly like Odd
Change, and like Water Hazard.  It is a low-point random award.  Someone
mentioned that Pocket Change behaves differently during some rounds,
awarding more points.

--- Land Grab ---

Light Land Grab at the Roll & Collect scoop after lighting all property and
railroads.  Land Grab is a timed round with a short ball saver.  All balls
will be sent onto the playfield.  The goal of Land Grab is to add as many
houses and hotels to property as possible.  The center ramp adds 2 houses to
a property group; the side ramp adds 4; and the Electric Company adds a
hotel.  The right ramp advances 2 spaces toward more valuable property
groups.  Additionally, you will move ahead automatically if you place a
hotel on a property group.

I am unsure of scoring, but each house is worth an award (hotels are worth
5x the base award).  More valuable properties are worth higher awards.  I
believe the highest award is the Dark Blue group (Park Place and Monopoly),
which is worth 1 million per house.

In my best Land Grab, where I got everything except a hotel on the Dark Blue
group (darn, 4 houses!), the total score for the round was around 17
million.

It would appear that reaching and playing Land Grab is a strong strategy.
It is definitely achievable in 3 balls, and may even be reachable a second
time.

Unlike other wizard modes, Land Grab has a very short ball saver, so be
careful.  It is much easier to earn hotels with 3 balls than with one.

You can earn more time during Land Grab, an additional 10 seconds.  I
believe this happens when you shoot the side ramp, but I'm not sure.

--- High Scores ---

My best score is 87 million, with one Land Grab.  I have heard of people
coming close to 100 million, and am sure that someone out there has reached
and passed it.  Default high score is about 24 million.

--- Other Notes ---

All players start a Monopoly game with 1500 points, since they start a real
Monopoly game with 1500 dollars.

I hope this strategy guide is helpful.  E-mail me if you have anything to
add or correct.  Enjoy!

Bowen Kerins