Automonopoli
| Automonopoli/Go to Jail | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | J. H. Woodhead |
| Publisher(s) | Automata UK |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum |
| Release | 1983 |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Automonopoli, also known as Go to Jail, is an unauthorised computer version of the boardgame Monopoly, released in June 1983 by Automata UK for the ZX Spectrum. Although other two-player Monopoly computer programs already existed, the developer advertised that their Automonopoli was the first with an artificial intelligence strong enough to compete against and defeat human players.
Initially released under the name Automonopoli, Waddingtons threatened legal action against Automata, and within weeks of its release the game was rebranded as Go to Jail. Waddingtons, concerned about the potential impact on a forthcoming official Monopoly video game, began formal court proceedings against Automata in late 1983, and the game was withdrawn from sale in early 1984.
Automonopoli was released by Automata UK in June 1983, selling for £6 (£18.00 as of 2015) Written primarily in BASIC, it modelled the board game Monopoly in every detail of gameplay. Although other versions of Monopoly for home computers were already in circulation for play between human players, at the time of its release Automonopoli was marketed as the first version of the game with an artificial intelligence advanced enough for the computer to play against human players.
Rather than display the entire board, only two full spaces (and a section of a third) are displayed at one time during gameplay. The board scrolls from right to left as the player advances following each dice roll, while pressing the "X" key takes the player to a separate screen showing a full list of sites and their current ownership, allowing players to buy and sell properties between themselves, to build houses and hotels, and to mortgage and unmortgage properties. On landing on a property the player is offered the chance to buy it; if the player declines, or they have insufficient funds, the property is put up for auction. The game copies the UK version of the Monopoly board game in every significant detail, including the exact wording of the property names and "chance" cards.
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