The games, they are a-changin?

It was only a matter of time, I suppose, but I wasn't ready for the TV commercial I saw last week advertising the new Electronic Banking Edition of Monopoly.

Yes, it's true, all of those bright gold $500 bills and the paltry pink $5 bills have been replaced with debit cards in the popular board game. The tokens of yesteryear have been scrapped for updated icons ~ a hybrid Toyota Prius, a New Balance sneaker, a labradoodle, McDonald's French fries, a cell phone and a laptop.

Sacrilege!

Even my youngest tech-savvy daughter is taken back by the new game.

"I was sickened by it," she said when I asked if she had seen the advertisement. "Besides, the best part of Monopoly is being the banker."

Most of us have fond memories of Monopoly. It is, after all, the best-selling board game in the world, its Web site states, sold in 80 countries and produced in 26 languages, including Croatian.

For me, the game brings back glorious memories of Monopoly marathons that lasted three or four days as my brothers and I wiled away the hours during Minnesota blizzards. Incidentally, the longest Monopoly game in history lasted 70 straight days.

I remember the occasional fist fight erupting over who'd get to buy the last houses and hotels, but it was all in good fun, even when you went broke landing on Boardwalk in the final throes of the game.

My kids grew up playing Monopoly, too. It was always their game of choice. I'd often suggest shorter games because I didn't have the time for a lengthy session, but more often than not their ultimatum was Monopoly or nothing.

But times change and board games have to change, too, to survive. They've largely given way to electronic games and high-tech gadgetry. Even Monopoly can be played online and has been offered in different versions (we have Millennium Monopoly but discarded it after one or two games) to stay ahead in the game, so to speak.

At the thrift store where I volunteer, it's evident that board games have taken a backseat to their electronic offspring. Mounds of old games fill the shelves to the point where it's difficult to even give them away. I'll bet I could find many youngsters today who don't know how to play checkers or Scrabble.

Meanwhile, the newly released Halo 3 video game holds the record for the biggest opening day in entertainment history, making $170 million in its first 24 hours.

Halo 3 focuses on the interstellar war between 26th century humanity and a collection of alien races known as the Covenant, who after a decades-long war have begun the invasion of Earth. The player assumes the role of the master chief, a genetically enhanced supersoldier, as he wages war in defense of humanity.

In short, the object of the game is to kill aliens.

I guess yesterday's board games had some violence, too. We destroyed ships in Battleship and delighted in knocking our opponent's block off in Rock -Em Sock -Em Robots. But there was nothing akin to the sheer terror and viciousness displayed in many of today's video games.

In my opinion, we'd all be better off if kids were playing Mouse Trap and The Game of Life instead of Halo 3. Games really should be about the interaction with friends and family, not a one-on-one killing fest staring at a video screen.

That said, I'm digging out our well-worn Monopoly game this weekend and taking a trip down memory lane or Park Place, whichever comes first. And I'll collect $200 when I pass "Go."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com