Here's a few suggestions, from an AVID monopoly player:

1) Players are allowed to loan each other money, and the interest rate is determined by randomly placed cards within either community chest or chance (or something new). Interest is paid at the set rate every time "GO" is passed.

2) Holding a monopoly is illegal, but you can build on any property anytime you own it. Holding more than one of the same piece of a "monopoly" increases the amount you collect on it, but holding every piece of a monopoly is not allowed. For example, if I hold New York with one house I collect, say, $100 if somebody lands on it. If I own Saint James as well as New York, and each has 1 house, I collect, say $150...or something like that.

3) Something needs to be done to keep one person from getting all the property by chance, while someone else ends up with barely anything. I'm not sure what, but this is a major issue.

4) Change free parking, you should never get "free money" for landing on free parking. It adds too much money to the economy too quickly.

5) The game needs to be sped up using a method of victory other than the "last man standing" approach, like the current style of Monopoly, or a "timed" approach, like the tournament rules suggest. Perhaps players have a "retirement account" in which they deposit money, and whoever gets their account to a certain point first, wins. Money can be deposited at any point, where it will earn small amounts of interest, but if it needs to be withdrawn it comes with a stiff penalty. Perhaps the interest earned also fluctuates according to cards. Maybe "investors" can even choose between stocks, bonds, CD's, etc. This could give somebody the opportunity to come from behind by choosing more risky investments.

That's it, I can't wait to see what you come up with. The best Monopoly player I knew was a friend who died in a car accident a few years ago. Every year we hold a massive tournament in her honor, using a really nice board (by the Franklin Mint), and the winners get their name engraved on the board, so Monopoly has a very special meaning to me.

The general concept of Monopoly needs to stay, or else it might as well be a new game. Things like the general shape of the board (with 40 squares), 2 stacks of cards, etc.

Mike